Harry Potter and the Kidnap Plot
by AceBiscuit
Summary: Post war story. Harry and Ginny reunite after the war and try to move on with their lives. Unfortunatly they have to keep fighting against evil forces working against them through a series of kidnappings. Turning to each other more and more they are unaware of a bigger plot that is building against them.
1. Chapter 1 Confused Torment

_AN First up, this is my first time attempting to write anything, so any constructive feedback would be more than welcome._

 _At first I wanted to write a fully original and cannon story but I soon realised that my story ideas were taking me further and further away from a cannon story line. I chose to stick with my story ideas rather than try and come up with something new that was strictly cannon. As a result this story starts of cannon so it fits with the original books but should be considered non-cannon for later chapters._

 _A quick word about the chapter layouts, this story starts of with very short "present day" chapters followed by longer flashback chapters. When the flashback chapters catch up to the present day, the present day chapters will take over the main story telling and become longer_

 **Harry Potter and the Kidnap Plot**

Chapter 1 Confused Torment

Dear Arthur and Molly

Thank you for your invite to spend Christmas day with you and your family at the Burrow, but I am afraid I am going to have to decline. I do not think it will be a good idea for me to join you with things the way they are between me and Ginny and I refuse to spoil this special day for you or your family.

I hope you are all well

Yours Harry

Well that was an unpleasant job done with. Now all he had to do was to get the damn owl to deliver it to the Burrow. If he was being honest with himself the Owl wasn't to blame. He had bought the owl so he would have a way of sending messages to Ginny after she ended the relationship but had never got around to naming the bird. He had spent two weeks using the nameless bird to send messages to Ginny, when Ron had arrived one night with a bottle of Fire whiskey. After a couple of drinks Harry had gotten emotional and had named the owl Ginevra. The Name had stuck and now every time he used the owl he felt like he was torturing himself. He had tried to change the name to no avail. He had also tried to use the owl without using it given name, but it would stubbornly refuse to deliver any messages if he didn't use its name.

Bracing himself he decided to get it over with, writing the letter had been hard enough by itself.

"Here Ginevra I have a letter for you to deliver"

Once the letter was tied to the owl's leg it promptly took off and flew through the window.

It had been nearly two months since he had last seen Ginny, two months since she had ended the relationship and two months since he had been left feeling as if the bottom had fallen out of his world.

Harry simply didn't understand it, he was as confused now as he was two months ago. Sitting down on his sofa Harry found his mind wondering back in another fruitless attempt to work out what had happened, to try and work out what had gone wrong.


	2. Chapter 2 The First Day

Chapter 2 The First Day

Harry awoke from his deep sleep very slowly. The soft comfort of his bed was pulling him back to sleep, but annoyingly something at the back of his mind was telling him something about this was wrong. The bed he was used to wasn't this soft. Opening his eyes slightly Harry saw he was lying in his four poster bed in the Hogwarts dormitory. In a panic this caused Harry to suddenly sit bolt upright. The memories from the last two days suddenly washed over him, the battle, Hagrid weeping, Lupin, Tonks, Fred, Voldemort, The Forest…. All of these images flew past in a blur.

Looking at the window Harry realised it must be around midday. Further inspection revealed that not only was the dormitory empty except for himself, but that he was still wearing the same clothes he had been wearing during the battle, wanting a shower and some clean clothes Harry tried to move but found himself too weak to get off his bed. As if commanded to provide an answer his stomach growled. Lying back Harry tried to work out what to do next as another wave of images washed over him, the great hall, Bellatrix, Voldemort, The house elves…

Thinking of the house elves brought Harry back to his senses.

"Kreacher" he called out

With a loud crack Kreacher appeared in front of Harry.

"Master called for Kreacher how may I serve you"

"Kreacher I am relieved to see you are alright, I saw you and the other house elves join in the battle"

"It was an honour to fight for Master Harry and for Hogwarts"

"Kreacher can you get me some breakfast please"

Looking puzzled Kreacher asked "Breakfast sir? But it is half past one in the afternoon"

"I've only just woken up Kreacher and I don't fancy a lunch meal. Could you get me bacon, eggs, sausage, toast and tea"?

"It will be a pleasure master, I will be back as soon as I can" and with a crack he was gone.

Harry was about to lie down again when a voice called out to him.

"Harry who were you talking to"?

Looking over towards the door Harry saw the vision of beauty that had kept him going the last 9 months, the person who above all others he had been fighting for.

Forgetting his currently weakened state Harry acted on impulse and tried to stand so he could go over to Ginny and promptly collapsed in a heap on the floor.

"Harry!" she cried out while running over to him, to help him up off the floor and back onto his bed. Once he was sitting again Ginny turned towards the door and announced she was getting Madam Pomfrey.

"No Ginny wait, I don't need Madam Pomfrey" said Harry

"Harry, you have just collapsed in a heap on the floor" exclaimed Ginny

"I'm just a bit weak that's all, I haven't had chance to eat anything since before we left Shell Cottage to go to Gringotts"

"No wonder you're so weak that was 3 days ago"

At this point Kreacher reappeared with a crack and presented Harry with a small table of food that could have fed at least two people. With a bow Kreacher departed as suddenly as he had appeared.

Turning towards the door again Ginny said she would leave him to his food.

"Gin! No! Wait! I …. I don't want to be alone right now, will you stay with me"?

Nodding her agreement to stay she came back to the bed.

"Have you eaten"? Asked Harry. Ginny replied with a small shake of her head. Her sudden quiet and reserved behaviour was completely out of character for Ginny and was making Harry a bit worried. "Well there is so much food we can easily share" said Harry looking at her with concern.

Seeing his concerned look Ginny forced herself to smile.

"Well move over then Potter and give a girl some room to sit down"

Smiling Harry moved over and once she was comfortable, he used his wand to levitate the plates of food into the centre of the bed where they could both reach them. Being ravenously hungry Harry dug in straight away, after a few mouthfuls he stopped as he realised Ginny hadn't moved. Taking a closer look at her Harry realised she was still wearing the same clothes she had been wearing when she climbed through the portrait hole into the room of requirement. Though now they were dirty and torn in places. Her face and hands were all dirty as well and were covered with cuts and grazes that hadn't been cleaned or treated. Hating himself for not realising the state she was in before now Harry turned to Ginny with the look of concern returning to his face.

"Ginny what's wrong" asked Harry "why aren't you eating"?

"I don't feel like it" she practically whispered

"What? Why? When did you last eat Ginny?"

"At the Burrow, before the battle"

Similar to Harry, Ginny had gone at least two days without food, though Harry quickly realised the reasons why were very different.

Her voice was barely audible when she said "I don't think Fred would want…"

Harry gently but firmly used both hands to hold Ginny's face and made her look at him, while using his thumbs to gently wipe away her tears.

"Fred wouldn't want you to what Ginny? Feed Yourself? Look after yourself? Thanks to your parents practically adopting me Fred has been more like a brother to me than just a friend and I've got to know him quite well over the years and I know he wouldn't want you to starve yourself through grief"

Ginny didn't reply to Harry she just buried her head in his shoulder and sobbed uncontrollably. Harry put his arms around her to comfort her and waited for her to stop sobbing and calm down.

When she had regained control of herself Ginny sat up and whispered thanks to Harry. Harry's response was to pick up a slice of toast and hold it out to her.

"Your welcome, now eat"

"Harry I…"

"No arguments, trust me you will feel better"

Slowly she started nibbling at the toast, but before long she was taking larger and larger bites. Harry quickly offered her a second piece which was grabbed and devoured quicker than the first, after that she started helping herself. Harry watched her for a few moments more then continued eating himself.

After a while Harry was forced to stop eating as he realised he had eaten too much too fast. Ginny paused in her eating to look at Harry and with a once familiar mischievous grin. "If you have finished eating will you do me a favour Harry while I finish up here?"

"Sure what's that?"

Wrinkling her nose in mock disgust, "Go and take a shower will you, you don't exactly smell too fresh"

"I imagine not" laughed Harry. Standing he emptied his pockets and withdrew three wands, the Draco wand, his repaired Phoenix wand and the elder wand. Surprising Ginny and himself to some extent, he handed all three over to Ginny and asked her to hold them for him while he took a shower.

"Why do you have three wands Harry?" asked Ginny

"I promise I'll tell you, but it's a long story. Right now, I'm under orders to take a shower" smiled Harry "You will still be here when I get back?"

Ginny just nodded and carried on eating with the three wands sat in her lap.

When he got out of the shower Harry was surprised but relieved to find a pile of clean clothes sat on the floor next to the bathroom door, guessing Ginny had been talking to Hermione he got dressed and re-entered the dormitory. Seeing Ginny still sat where he had left her, Harry smiled at first, but his smile was soon replaced by another look of concern. Ginny hadn't acknowledged his return to the dormitory and was sat on his bed staring into the middle distance seemingly oblivious to her surroundings with Harry's Phoenix wand held tightly in her hands. Once again Harry took in the state her clothes and visible skin was in. Harry called out her name causing her to jump slightly "Ginny do you have any clean clothes here?"

Shaking her head Ginny explained that she had taken them home with her at Easter and had been unable to return. Instead of taking the phoenix wand off her Harry picked up the Draco wand and used his patronus to send a message to Hermione. Waiting by the door for Hermione he had a quick conversation with her and came back with a bundle of borrowed but more importantly clean clothes. Walking back to the bed Harry placed the bundle of clothes in Ginny's arms and pulled her to her feet.

"Harry?"

"Hermione has lent you some clean clothes, now no arguments go and take a shower and get changed, you'll feel better for it, and I'll stay in here and make sure no one else enters the dormitory"

Nodding with a small smile Ginny went into the bathroom.

While she was gone, Harry saw the Elder wand lying on the bed and pocketed it along with the Draco wand for safe keeping. He then realised Ginny had walked into the bathroom still clutching his Phoenix wand. Though part of him would rather have had it in his possession, he was happy for Ginny to have it for now, if it gave her some small comfort. Quickly tidying the breakfast things up and pulling his bed sheets back Harry sat down to wait for Ginny.

When Ginny returned, the difference was noticeable, though clearly not back to her usual self, she was visibly more relaxed and had a small but genuine smile on her face when she looked at him. Sitting down next to him she leant against him and put her head onto his shoulder.

"I've been meaning to ask you, what were you doing on the landing outside the dormitory earlier? I mean you must have been there to hear me speak to Kreacher" Asked Harry

Pausing slightly "Oh err members of the DA have been taking it in turns to stand guard outside your room to make sure you weren't disturbed" replied Ginny

"I must remember to thank them then"

A few Minutes passed in silence when Harry realised Ginny's breathing had become regular and deep, indicting she was asleep. Slowly and gently Harry slid her down the bed into a more comfortable position and covered her with the quilt. As he was placing the quilt over her, he noticed she still hadn't let go of his phoenix wand. Smiling Harry decided it was time to show his face in the common room, where he expected Ron and Hermione to be waiting for him at least.

Stepping onto the balcony Harry decided he didn't want anyone disturbing Ginny and using the Draco wand he locked the door. Walking down the stairs he looked into the Gryffindor common room and was surprised to see not just Ron and Hermione, but the entire Weasley family. He managed to get to the bottom of the stairs before being noticed by anyone. Harry wasn't surprised that the first person to see him was Mrs Weasley, she was off her chair and across the circular room faster than he anticipated and immediately pulled him into a fierce hug, which he gladly returned. Releasing Harry from the hug she stood back and held his face in her hands, looking straight into his eyes she said "You gave us the fright of our lives young man when we saw Hagrid carrying you out of the forest" and before Harry could respond she pulled him into another fierce hug.

Harry's rescuer came in the form of Mr Weasley "Molly give the boy some air" laughed Mr Weasley. After pulling Harry into a hug of his own he stood back holding Harry by his shoulders and said "I'm relieved…. No, WE are all relieved you are still with us son"

After that Harry ended up sharing hugs with the rest of the family, finishing with Ron and Hermione. Harry was about to ask what they were all doing in the Gryffindor common room when a worried looking Mrs Weasley stepped forward.

"Err Harry have you seen any sign of Ginny? Only the last I saw of her she was sitting on the top of the landing outside your dorm room"

"You don't need to worry Mrs Weasley, Ginny is fine, she's fast asleep upstairs" replied Harry "I've also locked the door so no one can disturb her"

Following this there was a stunned silence. A quick look around the room revealed the same stunned look on the face of every member of the Weasley family.

"What did I say" asked Harry slightly worried

Bill was the first to recover "Harry every single person in this room has tried since the end of the battle to get Ginny to either sleep or eat and she has resolutely refused to do either. She's stubbornly insisted on sitting on the landing outside your dorm. When our concern caused us to try the desperate measure of using a sleep charm on her. She used a shield charm to deflect it and then sent a series of hexes raining down into the common room. Since then we have kept a close eye on her but kept clear of the stairs"

This time the stunned silence came from Harry. Glancing up the stairs towards the dorm room, before turning back to speak "But Ginny said the DA members have been taking it in turns to stand vigil outside the dorm room"

This time Ron stepped forward "Harry mate the only person who has been standing vigil outside the dorm room is Ginny"

Taking another look up the stairs Harry was suddenly filled with more concern for Ginny, she had been standing vigil outside his dorm room for well over 24 hours without food or sleep, he was also relieved he had woken up when he had, he dreaded to think what injuries she might have received if she had collapsed at the top of the stairs and fallen down them.

Turning to her parents Harry said "Well you will probably be relieved to hear she has also had something to eat, taken a shower and got dressed in some clean clothes, before she eventually fell asleep"

With relief clearly showing on her face Mrs Weasley pulled him into yet another hug "thank you Harry we've been so worried about her"

"Well if you will all excuse me I'm going to go back upstairs and return Ginny's favour and make sure she isn't disturbed"

"Hold on Harry" said Mr Weasley "McGonagall and Kingsley want to speak to you as soon as possible for a debriefing"

"NO" shouted Harry

"Harry what do you mean no? It needs to be done, you don't need to stand vigil for Ginny, she's safe and fast asleep and if she does wake up before you return, I'm sure she will understand" this had come from Bill who despite being older than Harry found himself being glared into silence.

"Don't get me wrong, any of you" started Harry by looking round at everyone present "I understand the importance of doing a debriefing. But it is quite clear that there are people who are still suffering from the more immediate effects of the battle" He didn't need to point up the stairs to emphasise his point, they all clearly understood what he meant "I can't believe for one second that there is only one person who is still suffering from the battle, whenever their injuries are emotional or physical and we should be focusing our efforts on helping them first, rather than sitting in a closed office having a chat!" and with that he stormed back up the stairs to the dorm room.


	3. Chapter 3 Shame Pride and Tea

Chapter 3 Shame, Pride and Tea

Whenever he thought back to it, Harry always experienced a strange mixture of shame and pride at that particular outburst. He had never intended to humiliate or shame the Weasley family, but that is what he had managed to do. The thought that a debriefing was considered more important than people who were suffering had angered him and still did now, some eight months later. Instead of directing his anger directly at the people responsible for demanding a debriefing he had focused it on the people in front of him, the family he cared about.

Ron had explained later that Harry's words had shocked everyone, no one actually spoke it out loud, but everyone was left feeling as if they hadn't done enough for Ginny.

The result of this was a virtual wave of care that went through the castle, spurned by Harry's words people were inspired to go looking for people to help and to care for. Madam Pomfrey had told Harry that the result of him sending her so many carers was that the survival rate of the injured went up, shortly before berating him for sending her so many inexperienced carers she didn't know what to do with them.

Harry was so ashamed for making the Weasley family feel guilty he went around and apologised to each of them in turn. However, he was proud of the effect his words had on the castle.

Resigning himself to the inevitable effect of his mind obsessing over what had happened, Harry decided to make himself some tea. Harry was aware that Kreacher mildly disapproved of his master making his own tea, but Harry simply refused to become like other house elf owners and insisted that he helped with household tasks.

Sitting back down Harry realised there was something else that he felt a mixture of pride and shame over. He was proud of the way he had looked after Ginny that day. He had been able to comfort her and say what needed to be said to help her get past the shock of the battle and of losing her brother. Something no one else had managed to do and he had done it without desperately attempting to hit her with a sleeping charm. If he was being honest he was surprised he had been able to help her in quite the way he did, he found he normally struggled to find the correct words in sensitive situations. The part where he felt some shame was when it came down to his vigil of Ginny. He had to be honest with himself, he had taken the easy option and as a result his vigil of Ginny hadn't lasted anywhere near as long as hers. Having returned to the dormitory Harry had magically locked the door again so only he could unlock it and then cast the Muffliato charm at the door to keep out unwanted noise. Having checked that Ginny was still asleep and noticing that she was still clasping his phoenix wand, he had sat down on a spare bed. After a few hours, he had inevitably fallen asleep himself.

He had later admitted this to Ginny and she had forgiven him, but the guilt about falling asleep when he had claimed to be standing vigil over her had never gone away.


	4. Chapter 4 The Debriefing

Chapter 4 The Debriefing

Ginny slept for over 15 hours and when she awoke the next morning Harry was there waiting with another breakfast that had been provided again by Kreacher. Ginny didn't speak at first, but looked somewhat sheepish as she handed back his phoenix wand, which he pocketed gratefully. When Harry pulled over the breakfast table Ginny practically dived onto it and started eating hungrily. Smiling, Harry took a minute to unlock the door and to send her parents a patronus message saying she was awake. He didn't expect them to take too long to arrive, but he was still shocked when they burst into the room barely five minutes later. The look of relief on both of their faces was very evident. Harry quietly stepped out of the way, so they could hug their daughter and check that she was alright.

"For Merlin's sake mum, you spent two days trying to get me to eat and now I am eating your preventing me from eating" cried Ginny. This was in response to Mrs Weasley pulling her into another hug and asking for the umpteenth time if she was OK.

If anything, it was this small outburst that comforted Harry and Ginny's parents more than anything as she was acting more like her normal self and was at least making progress.

"Care to join us" asked Harry

The four of them sat and enjoyed their breakfast, with Ginny eating more than anyone else. As they were finishing Harry turned to Mr Weasley and asked "Mr Weasley do you know who McGonagall and Kingsley want to be present for the debriefing?"

"Just the three of you I believe"

Harry though for a moment before replying "I'll speak to them myself but that isn't acceptable"

"What do you mean Harry?"

"Voldemort and his death eaters thrived through spreading fear and lies. That needs to stop now! If I go into a secret meeting with just the two of them it will just cause more fear and suspicion."

"So, who do you want in the meeting" asked Mr Weasley

"Off hand and as a minimum I would say, Kingsley, McGonagall, Ron, Hermione, any member of the Weasley family who wishes to attend and Neville"

"Are you sure you would want so many people in the meeting Harry"

"Yes, as I said the time for secrets is over. I refuse to keep secrets from my family and friends and the people I've mentioned deserve to know the truth. Besides this story is going to be hard enough to tell as it is and I don't want to have to go around to everyone individually and repeat myself" Harry paused for a moment "Aside from Ron and Hermione who will be helping me tell the story, it is important to me that you three are there more than anyone else. You've had to endure hardships and losses over the last few years and you deserve to hear the truth more than anyone. Though I will understand if you would rather not hear it"

"Well myself and Arthur will be there for you Harry, but I don't think Ginny should be there as she isn't of age" said Mrs Weasley

"Mum I'm perfectly capable of making my own decisions" said Ginny glaring at her mother

"You aren't of age" declared Mrs Weasley

Sensing that this was only going to escalate Harry quickly interrupted them "Mrs Weasley I know that with Ginny being sixteen I cannot force you to let her into the meeting" at this comment Ginny turned her glare onto Harry, seeing the fire in her eyes Harry continued quickly "however I would like you to consider three things, One that despite her age Ginny has endured and lost at least as much as you have, Two Ginny is going to turn seventeen in three months anyway and Three if you don't let her into the meeting I'll just find her afterwards and tell her myself if needs be"

At this the room fell silent, Harry looked round at the three of them. Mrs Weasley was sat there her eyes wide too stunned to speak, Mr Weasley was looking away, Harry suspected this was because he couldn't keep his face straight and Ginny was looking straight at Harry with a massive grin on her face and a sparkle in her eyes.

Finally finding her voice Mrs Weasley turned on her husband "Arthur say something" she exclaimed.

Turning back round to face them Harry's suspicions were confirmed, Mr Weasley was sat there with a grin on his face he could no longer hide "Molly, I think Harry has just made three very good points and as he has specifically asked for Ginny to be at the meeting then we should let her make her own decision" turning to look directly at Ginny Mr Weasley was suddenly serious "I will add though Ginny, you have clearly been in shock for the best part of two days and I want you to consider that before entering the meeting, as I imagine Harry's story will be difficult to hear"

"Thanks Dad I will" replied Ginny

Mrs Weasley sat there open mouthed but thankfully didn't argue, allowing her husband to have the final say.

"Mum, Dad, would you mind talking to the others to begin setting up the meeting please, I would like a word with Harry before we come downstairs"

"Of course, Ginny" said Mr Weasley and before his wife could argue he took her firmly by the arm and guided her out of the door.

Harry found himself alone with Ginny again, only this time Ginny wasn't in shock and staring into the middle distance. This time she was awake and alert, looking very much like her usual self. He couldn't help but take in her beauty, the way her long radiant red hair framed her face and the way her brown eyes gleamed.

"So, hey" she said

"Hey" he replied "I Take it you are feeling better?"

"Yes, thank you, I mean it's going to take a while to get over Fred, but thanks to you I think I can start moving on"

"Your welcome, anytime Gin"

Taking a step towards him she looked up into his eyes "You scared me you know? When Hagrid carried you out of the forest I truly believed I had lost you"

"Oh, God I'm Sorry Gin, I'm so so sorry. I never wanted to scare you like that"

"But why?" she cried looking at him in despair "Why did you have to come out of the forest like that?"

Taking a step towards her Harry explained "It was the only way I could get out of the forest alive, I was alone and surrounded by dozens of Death Eaters and Voldemort. There was no way I could fight them all off, the only way was to pretend to be dead and then run when I was closer to the castle. I'm so sorry you had to suffer by seeing me like that"

She obviously had more questions but seemed to be hesitant to ask them, "will you be explaining all this in more detail at the meeting?" she asked.

"Yes, like I said no more secrets, no more lies"

Ginny seemed to accept this. She took another step towards him so they were only a few inches apart "I also want to thank you for finally sticking up for me" Ginny said this with a grin on her face, but when Harry looked closer the grin didn't reach her eyes which displayed a hint of anger.

"There's no way I was going to make that mistake twice" said Harry "I saw how much I hurt you when I said you couldn't fight. I'm sorry Gin I was terrified I would lose you"

Reaching up she took his face in her hands and made him look into her eyes "Didn't you think I was scared of losing you too, Didn't you think we were all scared of loosing someone, Didn't you think that in order to defeat Voldemort that all of us would have to stand side by side, because nothing less than all of us was going to defeat him"

Reaching up himself he clasped Ginny's hands in his but didn't remove them from his face, keeping his eyes on hers he desperately sought the right words to try and explain things to her "Gin … I know that what you've just said is all true but …. But I … I did all this for you, I know I hurt you by breaking up with you and hurt you more by leaving, but I did that so you would be safe from repercussions, I fought Voldemort for you, so you would have a safe world to live in. Don't get me wrong I didn't want anyone else to get hurt but you were what I wanted to protect, what I wanted to survive and it was the thought of you that kept me going through the nine months we were away. When I saw you climb out of the portrait hole in the room of requirement I was filled with happiness at finally getting to see you, but I was also filled with a fear I had never felt before. The person I was fighting to protect had just stepped into what was to become a war zone" At this Harry felt tears rolling down his cheek, which Ginny wiped away with her thumbs.

Looking at Harry with tears in her own eyes she couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. That he had saved the world for her and her alone seemed absolutely unbelievable. "You bloody stupid oaf. You should have told me that sooner" At that she pulled him towards her so the remaining gap was closed and drew him into their first kiss in nine months. For a few moments, their kiss was all encompassing and neither of them was aware of anything else except the other.

Pulling away from the kiss they wrapped their arms around each other and Ginny rested her head on Harry's chest. "We have a lot of lost time to make up for Harry"

"I know, but if you'll let me I want to spend the rest of my life trying to make things up to you"

Smiling warmly Ginny looked up at him "You have a deal Potter, but I fear we have a more pressing problem to deal with first"

"The debriefing?" Harry said with some trepidation in his voice

"Let's get it over with" replied Ginny

Leaving Gryffindor tower, they walked together down to the main entrance hall, which was busy with people rushing back and forth. Before they had a chance to ask someone if they had seen Kingsley or McGonagall a loud booming voice echoed through the entrance hall causing everyone's head to turn and look "HARRY…HARRY" Turning to look himself Harry saw the huge mass of his friend Hagrid striding towards them, seemingly oblivious to all other concerns Hagrid simply didn't notice that witches and wizards were having to dive out of his way to avoid being trampled. "Hagrid" shouted Harry and ran towards him. As the reached each other Harry flung his arms around as much of the half giant as he could, Hagrid otherwise simply picked Harry up of the ground and wrapped his arms around Harry so tight he couldn't breathe. Thankfully Ginny came to his rescue.

"Hagrid" she cried "put him down your crushing him"

"Oh, sorry Harry" said Hagrid and put Harry down with such force Harry's legs gave way underneath him. "Mind you I should be giving you a clip round your ears for scaring me like that in the forest making me think you were …"

Harry quickly picked himself up and went to hug Hagrid again "I'm sorry Hagrid, I'm sorry I had to do that, but it was the only way out of the forest, there was no way I could have fought my way out"

"I know Harry, doesn't make it any easier having seen you lying lifeless on the floor" said Hagrid shaking his head "You'll be looking for professor McGonagall I take it, I believe she is up in the head masters office getting ready for your meeting"

"Thanks Hagrid" said Harry "I'm not sure how long this is going to take, but I promise we will come and have tea with you as soon as possible alright"

"You'd better Harry and bring Ron and Hermione with you" and with that Hagrid wondered back outside

As they were approaching the headmaster's office a sudden thought occurred to Harry, causing him to stop and pull Ginny into a quiet corner.

"Harry what's wrong" said Ginny looking concerned

"Err look I know I've said no more secrets, but I've just thought of two things I either can't share in this meeting or I don't want to share, but I don't want you to think I'm hiding anything from you"

"OK so what are they" she asked looking concerned

"I haven't got time to explain now, plus it won't make a lot of sense without the rest of the story, one bit is to do with Ron. If he chooses to tell that part of the story that's his choice but I won't force him to do so. The second is to do with what happened while I was in the forest, no one knows except me. I think I need to share it with someone but I'm not ready to share it with everyone"

"Do you promise you will tell me later when we are alone?"

"Yes I promise I will tell you later, I'll answer any other questions you might have, I just don't want you to think I am deliberately holding things back from you"

"OK then let's get this over with"

As they approached the stairway to the headmaster's office they discovered that the gargoyle that normally protected the stairs was still lying on its side next to the entrance, heading up the stairs they knocked on the door at the top.

"Come in" came the familiar voice of Professor McGonagall

Stepping into the room Harry saw that nothing had changed except for a new portrait that adorned the wall. A head master's portrait for Professor Snape.

Quickly stepping from behind her desk Professor McGonagall approached Harry and Ginny. In a rare show of affection Professor McGonagall clasped Harry by his upper arms and said "Potter I can't describe how happy I am to see you alive and well after everything that has happened" Professor McGonagall then turned to Ginny and put a hand on her shoulder "and you too Miss Weasley, I'm glad to see you have recovered from the state of shock you were in and I'm sorry about the loss of your brother"

"Thank you, Professor," said Ginny "I have Harry to thank for getting me through the shock. It's surprising what some calm strong words and toast can do for you"

"Not to mention a shower, change of clothes and some sleep" interrupted Harry

"That as well" said Ginny with a small grin "however I fear losing Fred will take longer"

"I'm afraid so" said Professor McGonagall "My advice is to focus on the good memories "Which shouldn't be too hard considering what a character your brother was" she said with a smile.

"Professor I was wondering how the preparations for the debriefing were going on" asked Harry "I'd like to get it over and done with if possible"

"Although myself and Kingsley aren't too happy about the number of people you have insisted coming to the meeting, everyone has agreed to come. It is just a matter of bringing them together"

"Could we do that now" asked Harry

"I believe so" said Professor McGonagall at which she waved her wand several times sending out multiple patronus messages, she then proceeded to conjure enough chairs for everyone.

Before long the Weasley family along with Hermione arrived at the office through its main door, the exception was Percy who arrived via the floo network along with Kingsley.

Harry and Ginny were already sitting next to each other and holding hands when everyone else arrived. This small point was noticed by everyone but not commented upon. Ron and Hermione quickly grabbed the two seats next to Harry while Mr and Mrs Weasley took the two seats next to Ginny.

Neville was the last to arrive. His head was wrapped in bandages as a result of the sorting hat being set on fire by Voldemort while it was on Neville's head. To Harry's surprise he was still carrying the sword of Godric Gryffindor. Neville looked sheepish as he explained "Sorry I'm late neither my Gran or Madam Pomfrey wanted me to leave the hospital wing, sorry Harry but I had to insist that if you wanted me here then it must be important so I had to go" Turning to Professor McGonagall Neville held out the sword hilt first "I thought it best to return the sword Professor, admittedly it's been fun keeping hold of it these last couple of days, but I think it's only right it is returned"

"What do you mean it's been fun" asked Ron

"Err well I've had quite a few girls visit me in the hospital wing" said Neville shyly

"Neville if anyone has deserved any attention it is you" said Harry "You showed us what true courage is that day, what it means to be a true Gryffindor. I'm not aware of anyone else who has stood before Voldemort and told him he would join him when Hell freezes over"

Neville beamed with pride but still insisted that Professor McGonagall take the sword and put it in its proper resting place for when it was next needed.

In the silence that followed Harry found all eyes were on him, they were expecting him to begin the meeting but he found himself lost for words. Thankfully Minister Kingsley stepped in to help him get started.

"So, Harry I gather you are going to tell us why you had to disappear for nine months?" said Kingsley

Harry got as far as "Yes Minister" when he was stopped

"Harry after everything that has happened I think you have all earned the right to use my given name of Kingsley"

"He's right" said Professor McGonagall "you should call me Minerva"

"And me Molly"

"And me Arthur"

Harry was shocked by this sudden show of respect by his seniors, he had never looked at any of them without considering a prefix for any of them.

Again Kingsley took the lead, "I'm sorry Harry you were about to start your story"

Taking a deep breath Harry started his tale "since the end of July last year myself, Ron and Hermione have been discovering and destroying Horcruxes"

This statement drew a varied response. Ron and Hermione simply didn't respond, Kingsley, Minerva, Molly and Arthur were all heard to gasp at what he had said, whereas Ginny, George, Bill, Charlie, Fleur and Neville were all sat there looking confused.

"I'm sorry" said Bill "but what on earth are Horcruxes?"

"A Horcrux Bill is an enchanted object that you hide part of your soul in" explained Harry

"But why would you want to do that"

"If you tear off part of your soul and hide it within a Horcrux you can never truly die, your body maybe destroyed but you will be able to survive as a sort of spirit or shadow. With help, you will then be able to return to your body. As long as your Horcrux stays safe you don't need to fear death"

"You said you were searching for Horcruxes Harry not Horcrux" said Kingsley "just how many did Voldemort make?"

Pausing Briefly Harry looked up at Kingsley "There were seven Horcruxes all together"

Looking around the room Harry could see the look of shock on everyone's face, except for Ron and Hermione's who had lived through it.

"Are you telling me that Dumbledore felt it was a good idea to send three 17 year olds off on a mission to find and destroy not one but seven Horcruxes, with no outside help!" this startled outburst came from Minerva, who clearly did not agree with Dumbledore's decision to place this mission on Harry, Ron and Hermione's shoulders.

"Yes Professor, we did have a head start as two of the Horcruxes were destroyed before Dumbledore's death"

"What were the Horcruxes Harry" asked Kingsley

This was one question Harry knew would come up but had hoped it wouldn't. "The seven Horcruxes were a ring that belonged to his father Marvolo Gaunt, a cup that belonged to Helga Hufflepuff, a locket that belonged to Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaws Diadem, Nagini the giant snake" Harry paused knowing he had left the worst two till last, looking straight at Ginny he knew this was going to upset her "Tom Riddles Diary and myself" Harry deliberately kept his eyes on Ginny, her eyes went wide, but other than that her face had frozen and all of the colour had drained from her face. When she finally recovered enough to speak her voice was low and rough "You?" she managed to force out "How?"

"In order to make a Horcrux you need to tear your soul, in order to do that you need to invoke some very powerful and very dark magic. The only way to access this magic is to commit a particularly violent murder. The night Voldemort came to kill me as a baby and killed my parents, he accidentally tore off a piece of his soul by attempting to kill me. My mums sacrifice protected me causing the killing curse to reflect back on him, but the piece of Voldemort's soul was still there and it latched itself onto me as I was the only living thing left in the house. I was the Horcrux he never intended to make. The piece of soul that was within me explains why I can talk to snakes and why I had visions of what Voldemort was doing. It's also why I had to walk into the forest and give myself up to him. I had to allow Voldemort to strike me down so the piece of soul in me was destroyed"

"But how did you know you would survive?" someone asked. Harry had no idea who as he was focused solely on Ginny, her face was now ashen and grey. Harry was starting to worry, he didn't know how much more she could take or how she would view him afterwards.

"I didn't" said Harry in answer to the question "We would have never been truly free of Voldemort unless all the Horcruxes were destroyed, so I had to let him do it"

"Are you sure the piece of soul has left you" asked the same voice that Harry was beginning to realise was Kingsley

"Yes, it's gone and so is Voldemort"

At this Ginny threw herself at Harry and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him so tight it was a though she was afraid to ever let go of him again. Tears were streaming down her face. Harry instinctively wrapped his arms around Ginny and held her just as tightly before slowly rubbing his hand up and down her back while rocking her gently to comfort her. Harry was only vaguely aware of Kingsley suggesting a break and asking Minerva if some refreshments could be brought to the office. When Ginny calmed down enough to sit back down, Mrs Weasley handed her a cup of tea, advising her to drink it to help her feel better. At first Ginny's hand was shaking so much Harry had to help her to take a drink. Harry on the other hand sat there feeling sick, hating himself for having put Ginny through that and was regretting on insisting she came to the meeting.

When everyone was seated again Kingsley turned to Harry "Thank you for telling us what you have so far Harry, but to make sure there aren't going to be any repercussions we could use a detailed account of what happened while you Ron and Hermione were away"

Harry turned to Ron and Hermione and saw them nodding their assent. Before he started he looked at the table that sat in the middle of the room and realised it was well past lunch time, stepping forward he picked up two sandwiches. Handing one to Ginny with a small grin he commented "like I said you'll feel better" This small comment caused a small grin from Ginny, who accepted the sandwich and some looks of confusion from the others.

Taking a bite himself Harry started his story. He explained how Tom Riddles diary had lead Dumbledore to suspect Voldemort was using Horcruxes, he explained how Dumbledore had given him private lessons so he could learn about Tom Riddle, he explained about how Dumbledore had located and destroyed Marvollo Gaunts ring though not before being cursed by it and he told the story about finding the fake locket and how Dumbledore had been killed on the astronomy tower. At this point, Harry found his throat dry and his nerves a tad on edge, thankfully Hermione took up the story so Harry could take a break with a drink.

Hermione took them through how the search for the true locket had taken them to Grimmauld place, Mundugus Fletcher, Dolores Umbridge and the Ministry of magic. Kingsley was shocked at how easily they had gained access to the ministry, but Mr Weasley was even more shocked to discover he had actually spoken to his son while stood in a lift.

Harry let Hermione and Ron take the story through the trip to Godrics Hollow and onto the discovery of the sword of Gryffindor and the lockets destruction. He did this so Ron could decide whenever to tell the story about how he had left them. When neither he nor Hermione mentioned it, he kept quiet and was thankful Bill and Fleur kept quiet as well. He did however look towards Ginny, she gave him a slightly puzzled look, to which he slightly nodded his head before turning back to Ron and Hermione, hoping she understood that he was trying to keep his promise and indicate that something had been left out.

Harry took up the story again at this point and took them through their capture and imprisonment at Malfoy Manor, their escape that was only possible thanks to Dobby and their planning and raid of Gringotts bank and how they had escaped on a near blind dragon and their arrival in Hogsmeade.

Harry paused to pick up two more sandwiches and to pass one to Ginny. He had been doing this almost absent-mindedly since the story had begun and was now getting smiles not only from Ginny but everyone else as well. Glancing at the window Harry saw that the sun was starting to go down, he hadn't realised how long it had taken to tell the story.

Determined to get it over with in one sitting Harry continued with the story, explaining how they had got into Hogwarts, how they had searched for the Diadem and how it was destroyed by fiend fyre in the room of requirement and how Crabbe had died in the fiend fyre he had started but couldn't control. He continued with how they had gone looking for Voldemort and Nagini and how they had witnessed the death of Professor Snape.

At this point, Minerva asked him to stop for a few minutes so she could arrange for his body to be recovered. While she was gone she apparently arranged for some new refreshments to be provided as the sandwiches and cold tea disappeared and were replaced with hot soup, bread and fresh tea. Harry who was already on his feet trying to stretch his legs started ladling soup into bowls and passing them around the group, Mrs Weasley had tried to take over but Harry wouldn't have it and shooed her back to her chair before placing a bowl of soup in her hands. When Minerva returned, Harry handed her a bowl of soup as well and waited for everyone to finish before continuing.

Picking up from where he had stopped, Harry went on to explain the gift of memories the Professor Snape had given him, how Snape had always been Dumbledore's agent working within the death eaters at great risk to gain information and to spread misinformation within the death eaters. He offered the memories as evidence explaining they should still be in the pensive.

Harry went on to explain that Snape's memories was where he had learnt that he had to die in order for Voldemort to be defeated and how he had spoken to Neville, So Ron and Hermione would have help in killing the snake Nagini. Before continuing he turned again to Ginny and gave her another small nod to indicate something will be left out and this time saw a look of understanding in her eyes.

Continuing with his story Harry was glad they were coming to the end, he took them through how he had put on his invisibility cloak so no one could stop him and walked into the Forbidden forest and follow the death eaters to Voldemort's camp. How he had allowed Voldemort to use the killing curse on him and how he had woken up on the forest floor. Harry almost skipped past how Narcissa Malfoy had checked to see if he was alive and then lied to Voldemort, but found he couldn't, it simply didn't feel right.

"The rest you know" finished Harry "Hagrid carried me out of the Forest and we had the final confrontation in the hall"

The silence that followed was absolute, no one moved or said anything, and most people were staring at the floor. Harry however was only concerned with one person now. Ginny's colour hadn't fully returned but she was no longer looking grey. He took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze that she returned.

Eventually Kingsley looked up "Harry I have a couple of last questions if you don't mind"

"Of course" replied Harry

"Can you explain why Voldemort killed Snape and why he desecrated Dumbledore's tomb?"

"Same answer for both questions really, it's because of this" said Harry pulling the elder wand out of his pocket "Professor Dumbledore's wand is the Elder wand, Voldemort desecrated the tomb to gain possession of the wand, he killed Snape to gain control of the wand because he believed Snape was the master of the wand"

"And was Snape the master of the elder wand" asked Kingsley looking confused

"No, Voldemort's knowledge of the situation and his knowledge of wand lore prevented him from realising the truth" replied Harry

"What do you mean?"

"To become the master of the elder wand you have to defeat the previous master, but Snape didn't defeat Dumbledore as they had arranged Dumbledore's death between them. The last person to defeat Dumbledore was Draco Malfoy when he disarmed him on the astronomy tower"

"So, Draco Malfoy is the master of the Elder wand? Does he know?"

"No, he never knew" replied Harry

"What do you mean he never knew?"

"Ownership of the elder wand passed to me when I disarmed him in Malfoy Manor"

If Harry thought the silence from before was absolute, then this had nothing on it. Everyone was looking at him, shocked and dumbfounded looks were everywhere he looked.

The sudden tension caused Harry to jump up and start pacing the room, "I have no intention of keeping this wand, I never wanted it, I'm going to be replacing back where it came from"

He felt a hand on his shoulder, turning slowly he saw Ginny standing before him "I have a better idea" she said and took the wand from his unresisting hands. Moving with a speed he didn't know she possessed Ginny suddenly turned from Harry and grasped the elder wand at either end. She then thrust the elder wand downwards with all the force she could muster while bringing her right knee upwards. When the Elder wand connected with her knee there was a sudden crack as the Elder wand snapped cleanly in two.


	5. Chapter 5 Reflection

_AN. I hadn't originally intended on releasing more chapters so soon, but neither had I expected to have people following the story so quickly. So as a thank you to those followers here are another two chapters._

 _As I said before any constructive comments are welcome._

 _Also if anyone can think of a better chapter name for this chapter please feel free to leave any suggestions you might have._

 _Thanks again and hope you enjoy_

Chapter 5 Reflection

Thinking back, it was clear no one was more surprised at what Ginny had done, than Ginny herself. She had stood there for several moments staring at the broken wand in her fingers and when she handed the pieces back to Harry her hands had been shaking. She had whispered "sorry" so quietly he had barely heard it. Harry had been far from angry, he hadn't wanted to keep the wand and Ginny's snapping of the wand had if anything made his decision even easier.

When he had asked her why she had snapped the wand rather than let him return it to Dumbledore's tomb she had simply replied "I don't want to lose you again" Thankfully Harry had understood what she meant. The Elder wand was bound to attract trouble. Sooner or later someone would have traced the wand to Dumbledore and eventually to Harry, leading towards an almost inevitable attack on Harry. By snapping the Elder wand, she had made it less likely anyone would come looking for Harry, in an attempt to become the Elder wand's master.

The meeting had been drawn to a close by Minerva who had explained that the school would have to close so it could be repaired and plans would be developed to ensure no pupil's education was unduly effected. At that people, had started to disperse. Neville had glumly announced he was heading back to the hospital wing where he was certain his Gran and Madam Pomfrey were waiting to berate him for being away for so long. Kingsley excused himself and left via the Floo network with Percy following suit soon after. As for Harry, the Weasley's and Hermione they were all too drained to travel, so they trudged back up to the Gryffindor common room where they had spent a restless night together. Harry had been glad no one had insisted they split up and go to the dormitories. This was partly because he simply didn't want to be alone that night, he had found himself needing to be around people. The other reason was Ginny. As they had left the office she had taken a tight hold of his hand and hadn't let go, even when they had to climb through the portrait hole. Harry and Ginny had sat in one of the oversized comfy chairs together, she had fallen asleep quickly with her head on Harry's shoulder, holding his hand with one hand and holding a death like grip on his sweater with the other. For the second time that day Harry had been left with the feeling that she was afraid to let him go.

The following morning Harry had awoken stiff from sleeping in a chair, but this was nothing compared to Ginny who on attempting to stand, had promptly fell over, clutching her right knee. A quick check had revealed a livid bruise on her knee where she had snapped the Elder wand. When both Harry and Molly had started fussing over her, saying she needed to go to the hospital wing for treatment, she had eventually snapped at both of them. She had forced herself to stand and rest her weight on her left leg and stated that Madam Pomfrey had more important cases to be dealing with. Ginny had been left somewhat surprised and puzzled when this caused both Harry and Molly to stop talking immediately. She had no way of knowing she had paraphrased Harry's words from when he had ranted at the Weasley's.

Leaning forward Harry picked up his tea only to find it cold and untouched. He had been so deep into his recollection's he had forgotten to drink it. He knew he was torturing himself, he knew constantly going over the past almost certainly wasn't going to achieve anything productive. He couldn't help it though he had become increasingly desperate since the breakup to find out what had caused it. There were times when Harry agreed with Ron's assessment of the situation, that Ginny had gone mental. Harry always felt guilty for thinking it, but if Ginny had had a breakdown of some sort it would explain a lot. It would explain the irrational behaviour and the sudden break up with no explanation. If Ginny had had a breakdown it would certainly help to explain the last and bizarre message he had received from her, it was a single line of text written on parchment and sent to him by owl "You are dotty Harry Potter absolutely DOTTY".


	6. Chapter 6 Going Home

Chapter 6 Going Home

Having successfully managing to stop Harry and her mum from fussing over her, Ginny announced she was going down to the great hall to see if there was any breakfast. Wincing in pain Ginny managed to take three steps before having to pause and only took a fourth step out of sheer stubbornness. Harry silently stepped up beside her, put his left arm around her waist and her right arm over his shoulders in order to support her as she walked. Realising she wasn't going anywhere without help Ginny nodded her agreement and together they made their way downstairs.

Sitting down at the Gryffindor table the family ate a quiet meal together, Harry assumed they were still thinking about yesterday's meeting.

"I guess we had better start heading home" said Arthur

Everyone agreed and stood up and started heading towards the doors, everyone that is except Harry who had stayed where he was sitting. Ginny, who had managed to get to her feet and was stood wobbling with her weight on her left leg looked down at Harry.

"Why are you still sitting there Harry, get up and help me" said Ginny

"Because I'm not part of your…." Started Harry, he never got to finish his sentence though as Ginny had hit him round the side of his head.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence Harry Potter" said Ginny heatedly with her eyes glistening with tears "Why do you think we took you in as much as we could over the last six years? Because Dumbledore asked us to? Because we felt sympathetic for you? Or because you were Ron's mate? We took you in because we cared about you, because we considered you as part of the family, do you honestly think that after everything that has happened we would just walk away and expect you to sort yourself out?"

"She's right mate" said Ron "like it or not you're a Weasley now. You're coming HOME with us"

Feeling a hand on his shoulder Harry turned to find Mr and Mrs Weasley standing beside him.

"Harry I think we should have said this a lot sooner, but we all view you as part of the family, I know myself and Arthur both love you and view you the same we do as any of our children" said Mrs Weasley

"Molly's right Harry it's time for us all to go home as a family" said Mr Weasley

Harry gave the other members of the family a quick glance and saw them all smiling and nodding their heads in agreement. Finally standing Harry turned towards Mrs Weasley and pulled her into a hug she returned in kind while Mr Weasley patted his back. "Thank you" said Harry with tears threatening to fall "you are the closest, I've ever had to having real parents" at this Mrs Weasley hugged him harder than before.

"I hate to break the three of you up" interrupted Ginny

Turning away from Mr and Mrs Weasley Harry saw Ginny was still standing next to the table but she was now clutching the table for support. Stepping forward Harry put one hand under her arm to support her and used his spare hand to pull her head towards him so he could kiss her.

"What was that for" she asked with a smile on her face.

"For knocking some sense into me" replied Harry

With everyone smiling they left the great hall and headed outside to the main gates. Where they all took turns to apparate back to burrow, with Harry taking Ginny side along.

The next couple of weeks flashed by in a blur for Harry. The Burrow was at first full to bursting with the entire family staying at home. Mr and Mrs Weasley while having to arrange a funeral service for Fred, never forgot that there was a house full of people who needed looking after and everyone was dealing with their own grief at different times. This was the most apparent in George who was never allowed to be alone as his moods were up and down far more than anyone else's. Mrs Weasley rallied to the cause like never before and kept everyone busy doing tasks around the house and property. Everyone that is except Ginny who was made to sit in the living room with her leg raised. Briefly at first, she took the opportunity to gloat about how she was sat relaxing while others were working, but this quickly ended as boredom set in. The situation wasn't helped by her brothers constantly winding her up about not doing any work. After a couple of days Ginny acquiesced to let her mother to treat her knee, but she still ended up stuck resting her knee for nearly a week, while Molly admonished her for not seeing Madam Pomfrey. Harry was the only thing that could lift her mood and he would sit with her as much as possible but would invariably be called to finish a job or help with a task.

Eventually the day came where Fred was laid to rest, he was buried in a field that overlooked the Burrow with a simple ceremony. At the wake, afterwards Harry briefly found himself feeling out of place. While everyone was eating, people took it in turns as they went around the table to tell stories of themselves with Fred. Harry was feeling out of place as he couldn't think of anytime that was just him and Fred. As if she was sensing his discomfort Ginny held his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Harry suddenly realised which story he should tell, it involved George but that couldn't be helped, it was probably the most meaningful memory he had of Fred.

When his turn came, Harry took a deep breath and looked up at the family,

"I hope I don't cause anyone to get into any trouble with this story" he started with a look at George "but this is easily the most meaningful story I have of Fred. It is the day Fred and George gave me something that once belonged to my father, though they never knew it" with that Georges head shot up with a look of shock on his face "As you know third years could visit Hogsmeade at weekends, but I could never get my uncle or aunt to sign the form so I couldn't go officially. I tried to go anyway by using my invisibility cloak. Fred and George figured this out in advance and waited for me on the main route out of Hogwarts and seeing my footprints appear in the snow both of them grabbed me and stopped me from making a foolish attempt to get to Hogsmeade, they took me to one side and presented me with a special map, they had learnt what they could from the map and gave it to me as a gift as they thought my need was greater" Harry paused to take a drink.

"But what do you mean it used to belong to your father" asked an incredulous George

"The map was made by Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs wasn't it?" asked Harry

"Yes" replied George

"Since you and Fred gave me the map I have since discovered the identity of all four of the map makers"

George was completely focused on Harry at this point "Who are they" he asked "When did you find out"

"I'm sorry George, I probably should have told you sooner but I found out at the end of my third year, as to who they were, well…." At this point, Harry smiled

"What" cried George "why are you smiling"

"In different ways, you knew three of them"

George was simply shocked into silence and sat there with his mouth hanging open. Ron leaning forwards with a big grin on his face looked at Harry and said "I'd think you had better put him out of his misery or failing that find a camera so we can record the look of shock on his face"

Laughing at Ron's comment Harry continued "OK the first should be easy to guess, Moony taught you for a year at Hogwarts"

"Moony? You don't mean Professor Lupin?" asked George

"The very same" replied Harry "When he was at Hogwarts as a student Dumbledore made special arrangement's so he could undergo his painful transformations in the shrieking shack, it was professor Lupin's screams that gave the shack its name, fortunately he had three friends who while still at Hogwarts became unregistered animagi so they could join Lupin on his transformations"

"Who were they" cried George with a note of desperation in his voice

"Padfoot was Sirius my Godfather" explained Harry "Wormtail was better known to you as scabbers, his real name was Peter Pettigrew and as for Prongs he was my Father"

Harry realised suddenly that everyone was looking at him and he was about to be hit with a torrent of questions he couldn't answer, thankfully Ginny who was sat next to him immediately picked up her story, which distracted the family from what Harry had just revealed.

After Ginny's story, she leaned back into Harry who wrapped his arms around her. Leaning forwards so no one else could hear Harry whispered to Ginny "The Map is yours"

Though he couldn't see them Ginny's eyes went wide "What do you mean" she whispered back

"The map has no use to me now so you might as well make use of it during your last year at Hogwarts" said Harry "I'll give it to you when we are alone at some point and show you how to use it"

After the funeral things calmed down at the Burrow, but Mrs Weasley still kept everyone distracted by keeping them busy, though not nearly as busy as before. Eventually members of the family started to head back to their own homes. Percy was the first to leave saying he needed to back in London so he could assist Kingsley. The following day Charlie left so he could go back to work and then Bill and Fleur headed back to Shell Cottage. With the older Weasley children moving back to their own homes the rest of the family could spread out a bit more and take a room each. The conversation one morning over breakfast over who should get which room caused Mrs Weasley to raise her eyebrows but thankfully not to make any comment.

"Mum I've been thinking" started Ron

"Careful Ron you don't want to strain yourself" giggled Ginny

"Oh, ha ha" replied Ron "Anyway I was thinking that now we have two empty rooms so why don't Harry and Hermione move into them that way we will all have more room and more privacy if we need it"

"I was thinking the same thing said" Mrs Weasley, but before she could say anything else both Ginny and Ron interrupted.

"Why doesn't Hermione take Bills old room" suggested Ginny

"Why doesn't Harry take Percy's room" Suggested Ron

These two suggestions were said at almost the same time and both in a rush. They couldn't have made it more obvious that it was planned if they had tried. Harry had quickly realised that if he took Percy's room it would put him closer to Ginny's bedroom and if Hermione took Bills it would put her closer to Ron's. Clearly Ron and Ginny had already realised this and had agreed to work together to try and make it happen. Harry figured that by suggesting where each other's partner slept they had hoped to make what they were trying to achieve less obvious. One look at Mrs Weasley however made it very obvious she hadn't fallen for any of it. She stood next to the cooker with her eyebrows raised and a sly grin on her face, while looking back and forth between Ron and Ginny.

"Hmmm I suppose that could work" said Mrs Weasley slowly with the sly grin still on her face "why don't we finish breakfast then Ron could help Harry move his things into Percy's room and Ginny can help Hermione move into Bill's old room, then after lunch I have some chore for you all to do"

This had resulted in a chorus of groans from Ron Hermione George and Harry. Ginny on the other hand had had enough and wasn't about to give in without a fight.

"For Merlin's Sake mum in the last three weeks we have cleaned the entire house from top to bottom four times, the garden has been weeded to the point that I'll be amazed if any weeds ever grow in it ever again and as for de-gnoming the garden, are you aware Harry spent twenty minutes yesterday looking completely lost as there wasn't a single gnome anywhere in the garden"

This last bit actually true for the most part. The garden had been de-gnomed on an almost daily basis since they had returned from Hogwarts, Harry had spent twenty minutes, enjoying a brief break while pretending to look under bushes and plants. Looking at Ginny Harry realised now would be a good time to add his support to Ginny. He had a funny feeling he would be in trouble later if he didn't.

"Actually, Mrs Weasley I had been hoping to go for a walk with Ginny at some point" said Harry

"Harry for the last time its Molly, I meant what I said at the meeting" said an exasperated Mrs Weasley

"Yes Mrs… err Molly" replied Harry

"Hmm well I don't suppose it would hurt to take a break for today" said Molly while clearly struggling to suppress a grin.

With everyone's moods lifted by the thought of a day off from doing chores, the moving of Harry and Hermione into their new rooms hardly took any time at all. When they got downstairs they were surprised to find two picnic baskets sat on the kitchen table.

"I thought with the weather being so nice you would like to go on your walks early and have a picnic, then we could all eat together at tea time" said Mrs Weasley

This was received by a chorus of thank you's and grins from the four of them. Realising this was the first time he would be able to be alone with Ginny for nearly three weeks, Harry excused himself so he could fetch the Marauders map and give it to Ginny as he had promised.

As they left the house there was a brief discussion as to where the two couples were thinking of heading. Harry and Ginny headed of towards the meadow whereas Ron and Hermione headed in the opposite direction. Harry had briefly felt guilty as no one had suggested the four of them having a joint picnic until he realised that none of them wanted a joint picnic, with the two couples wanting some time to themselves.

At the far side of the meadow they found a secluded spot amongst some trees, Ginny put down a blanket that she had brought with her, whilst Harry set down the picnic basket. Harry barely had chance to sit down before Ginny pulled him towards her kissing him with three weeks of built up passion, Harry feeling the same way as Ginny returned the kiss with just as much passion.

The Picnic temporarily forgotten and their pent-up frustrations from the last three weeks spent, Harry and Ginny lay down on the blanket side by side.

"Harry"

"Hmmm" replied Harry who had found himself dozing off.

"Harry I want to ask you something"

Turning onto his side Harry saw that Ginny had already done the same, "What do you want to ask?"

"I'm sorry to bring this up right now, but before the debriefing you took me to one side and explained there was some things you didn't want to make public knowledge, but promised to tell me when we were alone. Thanks to mum this is the first chance we've had to be alone and I don't know when we will get another chance"

"That's certainly true" said Harry pulling himself into a sitting position. Harry didn't really want to go over this at this point in time he had been feeling content and happy while lying on the blanket with Ginny. Though he realised that Ginny was right and he didn't know when he would have another chance to be alone with her and keep his promise.

"OK during the meeting did you notice I gave you two small nods of my head?" asked Harry

"Yes. I was confused at first then I realised you were trying to tell me something"

"I was trying to indicate to you where the missing bits of the story were supposed to be"

"I thought that's what you were trying to do" said Ginny "Though I wasn't completely sure"

"Well as I said before the first bit is to do with Ron" Harry paused here not wanting to go on. Not wanting to damage Ginny's relationship with her brother. "At one point after we had got hold the locket but before we found the sword, Ron left us leaving me and Hermione by ourselves"

"HE DID WHAT?!" screamed Ginny in outrage "Why did he leave? Where did he go and how did he find you again, actually why did you accept him back?"

"For Merlin's sake Ginny keep you voice down, I wouldn't be surprised if your mum heard that back at the burrow" exclaimed Harry

Taking a deep breath to calm herself down Ginny continued with her voice a lot quieter "Sorry, but why did he leave?"

"It was the locket, to keep it secure we had to wear it, but the dark magic that went into making it a Horcrux would affect the wearer. Making them think dark thoughts they wouldn't normally think, after eight hours of wearing it your head would be in a very dark place and it would take the next sixteen hours to get your head straight again, for some reason the locket affected Ron far worse than it did me and Hermione and the whole situation was made worse by the fact we didn't know how to destroy it or where to find more Horcruxes. Eventually after several weeks of having to wear the locket and pass it back and forth between the three of us there was a massive argument where Ron, who had been wearing the locket that day, finally snapped and released all of his pent-up frustrations at once. He walked out of the tent and beyond the protective wards we had put in place and immediately apparated away"

"Where did he go" asked Ginny quietly

"I'm not sure where he went at first" said Harry "But he ended up at Shell Cottage, we were separated from him for four weeks" said Harry

"Shell Cottage?! So, Bill and Fleur Know?" asked Ginny "Why haven't they said anything"

"Yes, they know. They haven't said anything because Ron asked them not to and they understand he made a mistake and has regretted it ever since"

"I just don't believe this" said Ginny "and I can't believe you allowed him back so easily"

"Well it's like I said we both understood how the locket affected Ron worse than us, plus he did save my life the moment he returned" looking at Ginny, Harry could see she still wasn't convinced "if it makes you feel any better Hermione did beat the hell out of him when we go back to the tent"

"I'm surprised she didn't hex him into the middle of next week" replied Ginny

"She probably would have but she couldn't as I had her wand" seeing a puzzled look on her face Harry continued to explain "Mine got broken when we went to Godrics Hollow and we had to share for a while"

"How did Ron manage to find you if you were moving to random spots up and down the country and putting up protective wards?" asked Ginny

"I don't fully understand it myself but it's to do with Dumbledore's deluminator that he left Ron in his will, he must have suspected that something like Ron leaving would happen and that he would want to come back, Dumbledore must have put some sort of charm on the deluminator that allowed Ron to hear Hermione and to sense where she was. Ron spent several days using the deluminator to follow us around the country trying to find us, before he eventually saw me in the forest where he pulled me out of the pool" Harry paused to look at Ginny and could see that although she had calmed down she wasn't happy with these revelations "Gin, please don't let onto Ron that you know" asked Harry "Me and Hermione forgave Ron for leaving and Ron feels guilty enough over leaving, he doesn't need any more punishment from anyone"

Ginny looked Harry in the eyes and saw that he meant what he had said, he had truly forgiven Ron for leaving. She also realised that Harry hadn't wanted to tell that story at all, not because he wanted to hide anything but because he didn't want to hurt Ron or have Ron punished any more for what had happened.

"I won't say anything I promise" said Ginny "So what happened in the forest or would you rather leave that for another time?"

Harry appreciated her offer and nearly took her up on it, but he didn't want to risk breaking his promise to her.

"I appreciate the offer of telling this story another time but your right we don't know when we will be alone again and I don't want to risk breaking my promise to you" Seeing the basket at the end of the blanket Harry realised how hungry he was "Do you mind if we eat while we talk" he asked.

"Not at all" said Ginny who opened the basket and started pulling out the food and drink her mum had provided.

As Ginny pulled the food out of the basket Harry continued his story "Gin do you know anything about the Deathly Hallows?"

"Only the nursery tale" replied Ginny looking confused while handing Harry a plate of sandwiches.

"So, you are aware of the idea of there being a wand, a stone and a cloak?" asked Harry

"Yes, but all that is the stuff of legend and mysteries, what's does it have to do with the forest"

Taking a bite from his sandwich Harry replied "I'll get to the forest in a min, but first of all you need to understand that in this case the legends were true, there really is a wand, a stone and a cloak and I have been in possession of all three at some point in the last year, hell I've owned one of them since Christmas of my first year at Hogwarts, though I had no knowledge of the hallows at the time"

At this revelation, Ginny froze for a moment, when what Harry had just said caught up with her, Ginny's eyes went wide with a sudden understanding "Are you talking about your invisibility cloak?" asked Ginny

"Yes" said Harry "even with my limited knowledge of invisibility cloaks I understand it is unique, it is perfect with no flaws and it never fades like most invisibility cloaks do"

"and based on what you have said I snapped the wand in two in the headmaster's office"

"Yes, but I hope you understand I'm not angry about that, I do believe you made the right decision in snapping it. The violent history that has followed that wand should come to an end now"

"What about the resurrection stone?" asked Ginny

"Dumbledore hid it in the snitch he left me in his will"

"Harry why would Dumbledore leave you such a thing? I'm sorry but with your personal history that resurrection stone sounds like a dangerous item to give you" said Ginny

Harry was at first astounded by Ginny's statement, until he remembered Dumbledore's words about the Mirror of Erised. Harry finally and truly understood that you can't live your life waiting for something that will never happen or live it in a past you never experienced. The resurrection stone was another way of trying to live a life you couldn't live. Whenever she realised it fully or not Ginny clearly understood this.

Taking a drink from the pumpkin juice he was offered Harry paused before he continued, "I think Dumbledore gave me the stone so I would have the strength to continue and to do what was needed"

Before he continued he took a close look at Ginny, his concerns from the meeting rose to the surface, as he remembered her going pale and then grey. While she had kept her colour this time she seemed to be operating almost automatically at the moment, and while offering Harry food she hadn't touched hers. Harry decided to stop with the story telling for a moment and picked up a sandwich and offered it to Ginny before echoing his words from the debriefing "like I said you'll feel better"

Grinning Ginny accepted the sandwich "When did you get so wise?"

"From spending time with your… our family" said Harry "I realised long ago after meeting your family for the first time that money and items aren't what make you rich in this world, it's the people that make you happy that make you richer than the wealthiest man around"

At this statement harry was surprised when she suddenly pulled Harry into a fierce hug. Like Ron before her she had been aware of Harry's wealth but never been jealous of it. She had never commentated on her family's lack of wealth and had appreciated what she had.

Harry on the other hand had grown up with nothing but bad memories, and at times seemed to be almost intent on spending his entire fortune on his adoptive family. His words made them both feel like Harry was finally part of the Weasley family more than anything else could at that moment, he had learnt what it meant to be a family from them.

When they had both calmed down and had something to eat harry continued his story.

"After I entered the forest, but before I entered Voldemort's camp I found a small clearing, where I used the resurrection stone". Explained harry. My parents, Sirius and Lupin appeared before me, I had a brief conversation with them where they explained they had always been with me. Their presence gave me the strength to carry on"

Looking up Harry saw Ginny's eyes were filled with tears and as she blinked they started to fall down her cheeks. Harry reached up and wiped them away with his thumbs.

"What did you do with the stone" asked Ginny

"Once I had finished talking to them I dropped it where I stood. I have no intention of going back to look for it, to be honest I don't think I could find the clearing even if I wanted to. Like the wand, the stone is better of lost and forgotten"

"I'm not surprised you didn't want to share that with everyone" said Ginny "I wouldn't want people to know something that personal" leaning forward she kissed Harry on the cheek, "thank you for sharing it with me" she whispered

"Your welcome" replied Harry "though my story isn't quite finished"

"Something else happened while you were in the forest?" asked Ginny

Harry nodded, falling quiet for a moment, thankfully Ginny didn't push and waited for him to speak on his own.

"This next bit is difficult to explain, only I know about it, no one else not even Ron or Hermione. When I allowed Voldemort to strike me down there was a…a moment for want of a better word, before I woke up on the forest floor" Harry paused trying to find the right words to explain what had happened "It was…. It was like an afterlife experience, I woke up in what looked vaguely like Kings Cross Station, Dumbledore appeared to me and congratulated me on being brave enough to do what was needed. He …. He told me that if I wished I could get on a train and go on to wherever I wanted to"

"You came back" whispered Ginny

"Yes I chose to come back, I couldn't move on while Voldemort was still alive, my conscience wouldn't allow it"

Ginny pulled Harry into another hug and whispered "I'm glad you came back Harry"

They held each other for a few moments before Harry decided to move the conversation onto something more cheerful.

"I almost forgot, I have something for you and I'd better give it to you soon so I can keep another promise" said Harry smiling

"What promise" asked Ginny clearly confused

Still smiling Harry pulled out the Marauders map and placed it in Ginny's hands, but didn't say anything at first.

Ginny turned the map over in her hands even more confused than before, she had never used the map before so she had no way of knowing what she held in her hands.

"Harry I don't want to sound ungrateful but what do I want with a bit of old parchment?"

Laughing Harry took the map off her and unfolded it before placing it in her lap. "It's not just any old piece of parchment" explained Harry "taking his wand he placed the tip on the map and said "I solemnly swear I am up to no good"

At that the map started to reveal itself. Harry however wasn't looking at the map he was watching the look of shock and wonderment spread across Ginny's face.

"Wait a minute this is Hogwarts" exclaimed Ginny

"Yes, if you look closer you will notice it isn't just a simple map" said Harry. Ginny looked at him waiting for a further explanation, but Harry who was suddenly enjoying himself said nothing more and just pointed to the map. Ginny bent over the map to study it more closely, wondering what Harry was getting at. It took her a few moments before Ginny saw something on the map move. Pointing to the map she turned to Harry "Is that Professor McGonagall?"

"Looks like she is currently in her old office" said Harry looking at the map "and there is Professor Slughorn in the staff room"

"Currently? You mean this map is showing us where McGonagall and Slughorn are at this exact moment in time?" asked Ginny

"Yes, the map shows you exactly where every single person is within Hogwarts, every second of everyday"

"Wait a minute are these secret passages leading out of Hogwarts?" asked Ginny with excitement.

"Yes, though these three are blocked off and Filtch knows about these" explained Harry pointing to certain passages on the map "but as far as I'm aware he doesn't know about this passage. It comes up in the cellar at Honeydukes"

Suddenly and unexpectedly Ginny punched Harry on the arm. "What was that for" asked Harry

"You git Harry Potter you have had this map for 4 years and you never shared it with me" exclaimed Ginny with laughter in her eyes and a smile on her face.

"Well I showed you some of the secret passages, what more did you want" teased Harry while dodging another punch "besides I'm giving you the map now"

"Harry I really appreciate it, but why?" asked Ginny "Surely you would want to go back to Hogwarts to finish your education"

"If the opportunity to finish my education comes up I will be taking it, but right now I don't know if I will be able to, so I would rather give it to someone who will appreciate it and look after it and who is going back for certain, plus there is another reason why I want you to have it"

"What's that reason Harry?" asked Ginny

Harry paused before answering, he was struggling to put into words his exact reason why he wanted Ginny to have the map. The thought of Ginny had been the one thing that had kept Harry going over the nine months he was away. He had missed her so much at times that he had resorted to getting the map out so he could search for her on the map and stare at her name. Giving Ginny the map as a way of saying thanks for getting him through the nine months made sense to Harry however illogical it might sound when he thought about it.

"Gin I should explain that my reasoning might seem a bit odd, I want you to have the map because it was the thought of you that got me through the nine months we were away" seeing the confused look on Ginny's face Harry continued "You see, while we were away I missed you terribly, as a way of trying to feel a bit closer to you I would get the map out and look for your name on the map" at this point Harry faltered with his explanation worrying that Ginny wouldn't understand or worse would think him weird.

Instead Ginny put the map to one side and pulled Harry towards her "I'm glad I could help in some small way and thank you I will look after it" she said before giving him a passionate kiss.

As they finished their picnic Harry realised there was something that Harry wanted to ask Ginny. "Gin do you mind if I ask you something" he asked.

"Of course, not"

"Back at Hogwarts, just after you came into the dormitory, you said that members of the DA had been taking it in turns to stand guard outside the dormitory so I wasn't disturbed, but when I went downstairs and spoke to the others they said you were the only one who had been standing outside the dormitory and I've been wondering why you said the DA members had been there?"

As Harry finished speaking he realised that Ginny had gone quiet and was looking at the floor and avoiding making eye contact. Puzzled he lowered his head slightly to try and look at her face, but she turned away. Feeling concerned Harry reached over and put his hand on her cheek and gently turned her head towards him so she was looking at him.

"Gin if you don't want to tell me that's fine, it's no big deal I was just wondering that's all"

Reaching up Ginny held Harry's hand in hers but didn't remove it from her cheek, subconsciously mimicking the way Harry had held her hands against his face back in the dormitory.

"It's not that I don't want to tell you" she said quietly "I just feel a bit ashamed"

"Ashamed? Ginny what have you got to be ashamed of?" asked Harry

"I'm ashamed because I lied to you about the DA taking it in turns to stand guard, I lied to you because I was doubting whenever you would still want to be with me, I didn't want you freaking out over me being outside the room over twenty four hours if you didn't want me or worse getting back together with me out of pity or guilt, Then you were the one who said no more secrets, no more lies and you obviously meant it as you made a point of promising to tell me the bits you were going to keep from the others and I've been keeping this lie from you"

Harry was momentarily stunned, Ginny had told a small lie seemingly aimed at protecting herself in case she had been rejected, but his words had affected her to the point she was feeling guilt about it.

"Ginny, you have done nothing wrong, you told that lie in order to protect yourself and no one would blame you for doing that, especially considering the way I broke up with you and left for nine months"

"You're not angry I lied and kept it from you, you're willing to forgive me?" asked Ginny with hope in her eyes

"No! I'm not angry Ginny and as far as I'm concerned there is nothing to forgive and hell even if there was, if you are able to forgive me for breaking up with you and take me back then I sure as hell can forgive you for this"

With Harry's words Ginny, didn't visibly relax as such, rather she grabbed Harry's head with both hands and pulled him into a kiss which left Harry breathless.

As they were recovering from their recent bout of kissing, Ginny picked up the Marauder's map and studied it closely for the first time. Starting at the Gryffindor tower which she recognised easily, she started to recognise corridors leading to rooms she recognised, but then she started to notice the extra lines on the map indicating the hidden passageways.

"Harry are these hidden passages that I'm looking at?" asked Ginny

"Yes, though I'm not sure how many of the internal secret passages Filch is aware of"

"Ok, so to make the map appear you say "I solemnly swear I am up to no good""

"That's right"

"How do you make it disappear?" asked Ginny

"Put your wand against the map and say mischief managed" Harry sat there at first clearly expecting Ginny to try it herself. Ginny after waiting for Harry to do it finally rolled her eyes and shook her head which resulted in a confused "what?" from Harry

"I'm still underage Potter" said Ginny smiling

"Ah sorry I forgot for a moment" said Harry pointing his wand at the map he said "Mischief managed" causing the map to fade away.

Looking at his watch Harry realised it was later than he thought and suggested that they start to pack up and head back. "We probably don't want to worry your mum the first time she lets us out of sight in three weeks"

"That's certainly true" replied Ginny

They packed the last of the picnic items into the basket and with it being mostly empty they were able to fold up the blanket and put it in the basket as well. They started to walk home holding hands with Harry carrying the basket in his spare hand and Ginny carrying the map in her spare hand.

As they got closer to the Burrow Harry stopped suddenly, causing Ginny to look at him with some concern.

"Harry what's wrong?"

"Err I've just realised something"

"Realised what?" asked Ginny

"I've just realised I've been keeping something from you, this isn't to do with the time I was away, this is something recent that has come up while we've been at home"

Ginny was completely confused by this point. If it had been something from Harry's time away she could have understood that with so much happening it was possible, he had forgotten something. But she couldn't think of anything that could have happened since coming home that Harry would want to keep from her and reveal now. Especially as they had spent the last three weeks cleaning the house and garden.

"Harry what is it?" asked Ginny

"I don't think my wand is working properly"


	7. Chapter 7 Retrieving Parents

Chapter 7 Retrieving Parents and Summer Term

"I don't think my wand is working properly" well that was a massive understatement if there ever was one. It had taken Harry and Ginny nearly two months before they had been able to discover what was wrong with Harry's phoenix wand.

Harry smiled when he remembered how Ginny's outburst at her mother about continually cleaning and doing chores had an effect beyond the day of the picnics. Molly had backed off almost completely and had given them far fewer chores to do around the house and had allowed them far more privacy than they had been allowed in the previous weeks.

The evening after the Picnic's Ron and Hermione had announced they were going to go to the ministry later in the week. Hermione had been desperate to find her parents and bring them home. They had managed to get a meeting with Kingsley who had offered to help her. When they had gotten home from their meeting Hermione had been practically bouncing off the ceiling with delight. Kingsley had been more than true to his word. After Hermione, had initially contacted him asking him for help, Kingsley had leapt into action. He had contacted the Australian Ministry for magic and requested their help in finding Hermione's parents as well as sending an Auror over to Australia to help with the search. The result of Kingsley's help was that Hermione's parents had been found and had their memories restored by the time Hermione and Ron had arrived for their meeting with Kingsley. The only thing that had delayed their return was typically red tape and paper work, though with both ministry's working together they were processed quickly and Hermione could expect her parent's home the following week. Despite having gone to the trouble of contacting the Australian Ministry and getting her parents found, Kingsley then went one better, he took the blame for her parent's memory being modified. He told Hermione's parents that it had been by order of the ministry before the ministry had fallen in order to keep them safe from possible attacks due to Hermione being friends with Harry. This meant that Hermione was able to stop worrying about how her parents would react to her modifying their memories. When she asked Kingsley why he had taken the blame he had simply said "it was the least I could do, the world owes you so much more"

Thinking back Harry realised that was also the week that the first set of Hogwarts letters had arrived for the four of them. They had discovered that with the school being nearly repaired the decision had been made to run a six-week summer term for students that had their education disrupted. Ginny had been invited to attend so she could go over what she had missed after she had been unable to return at Easter. Harry's, Ron's and Hermione's invites had been different. They had been invited to attend so they could cover a year's education in six weeks. At the end of which they would take their NEWTS. If they failed an exam or were unhappy with a result they were welcome to return the following year to retake as many courses as they wanted, they also had the option of skipping the summer term and go back to Hogwarts for a full year of study starting in September if they wished.

All four of them had signed up for the summer term, though for different reasons. Ginny simply didn't want to be behind at the start of the seventh year, Hermione was seriously considering going for back for the full year and was going to view the summer term as a revision session, however she still intended to take her NEWTs at the end of the summer term, Harry and Ron on the other hand weren't keen on going back for a full year, but still wanted their NEWTs so decided to sign up for the summer term and hope for their best.

When their results had finally arrived they had passed all of their exams except one, typically they had all failed Potions. On top of which Harry and Ron had passed with the required marks they needed to become Auror's. Kingsley upon finding out Harry and Ron's results, told them that if they signed up to retake potions they could start their Auror training and special arrangements could be made so they could attend classes at Hogwarts.

Harry and Ron had both refused, but for different reasons. Harry had stated that he didn't want special treatment because of who he was, on top of which Harry liked the idea of a relaxed year, being able to see Ginny twice a week in potion lessens and possibly spending some time making Grimmauld place liveable. Ron on the other hand had been asked by George to help him get the shop back up and running. Ron had been torn as to what he should do. By failing potions, he had inadvertently created a situation where he could help George for a year while studying for the grade he needed to become an Auror.

Hermione on the other hand had still been intent on going back to Hogwarts for the full year. This was until Ron had spoken to her. What Ron had said to her Harry had no idea and couldn't possibly fathom, but in the end, she relented and decided to retake just two subjects, Potions and Ancient Runes as she wasn't happy with her result for runes.

This period also presented them with a period of intense teasing from the Weasley brothers that was focussed mostly on Ginny. Sometimes they had involved Harry but mostly it was focused solely on Ginny. It had all come to an abrupt end when Harry had kicked Charlie out of the Burrow.


	8. Chapter 8 Going Too Far

_AN – First of all I would like to say a big thanks to Iwik for the first review of this story and to the two guests who have also left reviews, plus the nine people now following this story._

 _Before we go any further I Think I should take a moment to explain the next five chapters. The next five chapters are build up chapters that revolve around a "falling out" between Ginny and her brother Charlie. As I said in the authors note in chapter one, I want to try and write an original story, as part of this I have chosen to use Charlie due to him being a small yet known character. This left me with a problem as I needed a justifiable reason for Charlie approaching Harry privately in a later chapter. The "falling out" side story was my way of introducing Charlie into the story and to give him a reason to be able to approach Harry. I originally envisioned this side story as being a couple of chapters long, however this side story felt as if it was writing itself and I suddenly had five chapters instead. My concern now is that it maybe seen as a distraction from the main story and I sincerely hope you stick with me, the first kidnap is on its way along with a battle scene. You maybe interested to know I currently have twenty one chapters written and I am starting the twenty second._

 _One further thing to point out. Some people may consider my version of Molly Weasley as acting out of character, this is because I have tried to evolve her character, while hopefully staying true to her original character (if that makes sense lol). Most people stick to having Molly catching Harry and Ginny together and Molly calling Ginny a scarlet woman. Don't get me wrong I enjoy reading those scenes as much as anyone but I wanted to do something different._

 _Anyway enough from me, I hope you enjoy the following chapters._

Chapter 8 Going Too Far

"GIVE IT BACK" Harry heard Ginny cry out

Harry was half way down the stairs when he first heard Ginny cry out. He paused to sigh inwardly and to take a deep breath. This whole teasing thing the Weasley brothers were putting Ginny through was getting seriously out of hand. It had been going on for nearly two weeks and had started while Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting for their NEWT exams. Nothing Harry, Molly or Arthur had said had been able to put a stop to it. It had started when Charlie had come home and was taking a holiday from his job. It was obvious to Harry that Charlie was the ring leader in all this, but as to why he was getting his brothers to tease Ginny mercilessly was beyond Harry, especially as they were coming to the end of an intense study period. So far Ginny had endured having her wardrobe and drawers being magically sealed shut, floating charms being put on her belongings so she couldn't get them of the ceiling, text books that she was studying being taken and passed back and forth while Ginny was stuck playing piggy in the middle, repeated comments and innuendo about what she and Harry did in private and on one bizarre occasion had all of her shoes either shrunk or grown so none of them fit. That particular incident had taken Harry and Ginny away from their studying for the better part of two hours while Harry had struggled to get Ginny's shoes back to the correct size. When Harry had gone back downstairs he hadn't spoken but the look on his face and the sparks shooting uncontrollably from his wand had caused Ginny's Brothers to back off for the rest of the day.

"GIVE IT BACK please he'll be down in a minute" cried Ginny

"What's the matter sis don't you want Harry to see this"

Harry had just entered the living room and was headed for the kitchen where the noise was coming from. The second voice had clearly been Bill's, but what concerned Harry was what Ginny had said, there had been a clear note of desperation in her voice that wasn't normal for her plus they had clearly got hold of something she didn't want Harry to see, suggesting they had gone too far this time.

Walking into the Kitchen Harry saw Bill and George in opposite corners of the kitchen with their wands out, Bill was levitating what looked like a scrap book in the air above Ginny just out of her reach. Ginny being underage still couldn't do anything except reach desperately for the book. What angered and worried Harry the most was that Ginny was clearly acting out of character. Instead of getting angry like she would do normally she was clearly on the verge of tears and practically begging for the book back, while her two brothers stood their laughing.

"Bill please" pleaded Ginny

"EXPELLIARMUS ACCIO BOOK" roared Harry

Bills wand flew out of his hand and flew towards Harry who ignored it and let it fall to the floor, his concentration on the book which he caught with both hands. Ginny ran to Harry who handed the book to her without looking at it. Harry stood still glaring at Bill until he realised Ginny was tugging on his arm, turning to look at Ginny he saw that she was cowering behind him and was trying to pull him towards the kitchen door.

Seeing her cowering behind him angered Harry even more, he couldn't believe that they had done this to her. Squeezing her hand Harry said "Gin go upstairs to your room I'll be up in a min when I've dealt with these two" With that Ginny fled the kitchen. Harry could feel himself shaking with anger and took several deep breaths to calm himself down.

"Harry I …" started Bill

"DON'T" said Harry while raising his wand and pointing it at Bill "DON'T say a word… either of you" Though he was angry with both Bill and George, Harry found himself focusing his anger mostly on Bill. "Did you know Bill I've always looked up to you… or at least I did. I'm going to go upstairs to check on Ginny but we are not finished here, you two are going to sit at this table until I come back downstairs and you had better still be here when I come down or there will be hell to pay"

Harry walked out of the kitchen and went back upstairs where he found Molly stood outside Ginny's bedroom door, calling out to Ginny asking if she was alright.

"Molly let me talk to Ginny" said Harry

Molly turned to Harry with a look of concern on her face "Harry what's happened?"

"I'm not fully aware to be honest, but if you want to help there are two idiots who should be sat at the kitchen table who need yelling at"

"Which of the five idiots are we talking about today?"

"Bill and George"

"Right I'll go deal with those two" replied Molly as she stormed of down the stairs.

Stepping up to the bedroom door Harry hesitated before knocking on it gently, "Gin it's me, can I come in please?" at first Harry didn't get a response "Gin please let me in, I don't care what the book was I just want to know you're alright" at that the door opened an inch and a red-faced Ginny glanced onto the landing before opening the door wider to let Harry in. As he stepped into Ginny's bedroom the air was suddenly filled with an ear-splitting screech that could only have come from Molly as she wound herself up to yell at her two sons. Ginny visibly jumped at the sound.

"What was that" she asked quietly

"Your mum, I've just set her loose on Bill and George" replied Harry "I felt they deserved it"

Ginny didn't respond which caused Harry more concern, crossing the room to Ginny he pulled her into a hug and realising she was trembling he held her to his chest until she had calmed down.

"Feeling better" he asked. Ginny replied by nodding her head into his chest. "Gin I know you don't want me to see the book, but is there any way you can tell me what that was all about?"

"It's a personal item from when I was a little girl, it's full of silly stuff mostly, but I didn't want it read out in public" Ginny replied with her head still leaning against Harry's chest

"What concerned me the most Gin was seeing you act out of character, how come you didn't get angry like you normally do?"

"I did at first but they kept on going and when I realised you were coming downstairs I panicked, plus it's been non stop for nearly two weeks I've had enough"

"I don't blame you, I've had enough and I'm not the one they are focusing on. Look I still need to go downstairs and deal with those two, will you be OK for a bit?"

"I thought mum was dealing with them?"

"She was but I told them to stay put until I came downstairs, I want to find out what the last two weeks has been about" explained Harry "hopefully your mum has softened them up a bit" Harry finished with a grin.

At Harry's comment Ginny gave him a small smile which brought back some of the sparkle in her eyes "I'll be fine for a bit, I'd like to know what they have been playing at as well"

Harry gave her a quick kiss and turned towards the door, as he was about to open it a thought struck him. Causing him to turn back to Ginny.

"Gin, I've just had an idea which may help with the teasing long term"

"What's that Harry?"

"I want you to understand that there is no pressure in what I'm about to suggest, it's just an idea and it's your decision to make"

Ginny simply nodded her head to show she understood.

"I know you didn't want me to see the book, but the thought occurs to me that if you did share it with me, they wouldn't be able to tease you with it in the future. If they got their hands on it and started like they did today you could shrug your shoulders, laugh and walk away because they wouldn't be able to reveal anything I hadn't already been shown"

Judging by the look on Ginny's face Harry didn't think she was really convinced just yet, but he was certain she was thinking about it.

"Like I said there's no pressure, just think about it"

"I will" replied Ginny quietly

Walking back into the kitchen Harry saw that George was still sitting where he had left him, Molly was stood in a corner quietly seething, a look of barely controlled rage on her face. Bill however was on his knees next to the kitchen fireplace. Looking closer Harry saw Fleur's face in the flames

"Bill Weasley you are ze biggest idiot I know. I told you not to get involved with Charlie's idea" said Fleur

"It was only meant in fun, but we got carried away and then Harry went mad" said Bill clearly having no idea Harry was stood behind him.

"I do not blame Arry for going mad. You and your brothers have been tormenting the girl he is clearly in love with non-stop for two weeks" at this Fleur turned her head to look directly at Harry "Hello Arry I would like to ask if you are aving a good day but thanks to zis idiot that would be pointless yes?"

"Hello Fleur I'm afraid you are right" replied Harry

"Well Arry you have my permission to do whatever iz necessary to teach zis idiot a lesson" and with that Fleur was gone. It occurred to Harry that even though Fleur was only a Weasley by marriage she clearly had the same fiery spark that all Weasley women seemed to have.

Bill seemed to be momentarily stunned and stuck kneeling on the floor. Harry at this point didn't see Bill his friend or Bill the older brother, he defiantly didn't see the older man he had grown to respect, he just saw someone that had hurt Ginny. Pointing across the table towards where George was sitting he simply said "Sit" Bill pulled himself up of the floor and sat down next to George. Molly had moved behind her two sons and had a sly grin on her face, which Harry assumed was a result of Fleur's parting comment. Before Harry could start George looked up and started talking.

"I'm really sorry Harry I should have realised we had gone too far when Ginny stopped getting angry"

"I appreciate the sentiment George but you are apologising to the wrong person" started Harry "what I want to know and I really don't care which of you answers is what the hell has the last two weeks been about? We all expect a certain amount of teasing and pranks being pulled round here, that's the way things are round here, we all give and take to some degree, but what you five have done to Ginny went past simple teasing and pranks some time ago and as far as I'm concerned has become nothing more than systematic bullying"

At this both Bill and George paused while they took in Harry's words. Harry was glad they didn't try to deny it. Looking over their shoulders Harry saw Molly nodding her head in agreement.

"I'm not denying what you've just said Harry but who made you Ginny's protector?" said Bill the anger at being spoken down to by someone younger than himself clear in his voice.

"I did" said a quiet but firm voice.

Everyone turned to the kitchen door and saw Ginny standing there.

"I grew up feeling safe and secure knowing I didn't have just mum and dad to protect me. I had six older brothers who went out of their way to look after me. Sure, there was some teasing, but as Harry said we all gave and took to some degree. These last two weeks I've been left feeling like I've had three protectors trying to compete against five bully's" Ginny paused to allow time for her words to sink in. "Harry when you have finished dealing with these idiots I have something I would like to share with you upstairs"

"Share what" demanded Bill

At this outburst, Harry was sure he saw George who was looking at the table shake his head out of the corner of his eye.

"Wouldn't you like to know my not so big brother" grinned Ginny before she turned and left the kitchen.

Glancing over George and Bills shoulders Harry saw Molly was still grinning but she was looking a little confused. Turning back to Bill and George, Harry picked up where he had left of.

"Well you haven't answered my question" stated Harry

George turned to Bill, "This maybe your last chance to redeem yourself Bill. If you don't tell him I will. I sure as hell don't want Ginny to disown me as her brother and I certainly don't want a pissed off Harry Potter gunning for me"

Apart from raising his eyebrows Harry didn't respond to Georges comment, he didn't dare look at Molly, he was certain her grin would have widened, which would have prevented him from keeping a straight face. Finally, Bill looked up at Harry and spoke.

"I'm not making excuses or trying to pass the blame, we all got involved and are all guilty, Charlie came to us with an idea of winding Ginny up. As she's coming of age soon he reasoned she would be able to respond with magic when we wind her up in the future, so he reasoned we should tease her as much as possible now. As you have clearly seen it got out of hand and we went too far"

"THAT'S IT" Screamed Molly "You put your sister through two weeks of hell because she's underage and can't respond"

All three of them jumped at that sudden outburst, Bill and George didn't dare to turn around and look at their mother. Harry who had seen the look of rage of Molly's face was glad it wasn't aimed at him.

"When I get my hands on that idiot he'll wish he'd never been born" screamed Molly

If it were possible George and Bill lowered themselves further into their chairs, seemingly trying to make themselves as small as possible.

"Molly if you don't mind I would like to deal with Charlie myself" said Harry with a calm and confidence he didn't entirely feel at that point.

"What do you intend to do" asked Molly

"I don't know yet" said Harry calmly "it may depend on what these idiots decide to do next"

Molly didn't argue but simply nodded her head.

"I'm out" George practically shouted "We both are, aren't we Bill?"

"Were out, no more pranks" agreed Bill

"Good" said Harry "Now what I want from you two is some cooperation"

"What do you mean" asked Bill

"If or should I say when Charlie comes around with another wind-up idea, tell him you are out but don't let him know, that I know he is the ring leader"

"Why would you want to keep that a secret Harry?" asked Molly

"I know it may be a bit risky, but I plan on letting Charlie hang himself" replied Harry "now if you will excuse me I'm needed upstairs"

"What do you want to do with these two?" asked Molly

"I'm willing to believe George genuinely feels sorry for his involvement, so as long as he apologises to Ginny I've got no further arguments with him. As for Bill, he's already been yelled at by one Weasley female, has a second upstairs to apologise to while hoping she doesn't hex him into the middle of next week and a third back home to contend with. I'm just glad I'm not in his shoes, good luck Bill" Harry took some pleasure in seeing the look of realisation hit Bills face. Glancing at Molly he saw an almost evil grin spread across her face, George however simply looked relieved.

Heading back up the stairs to Ginny's room Harry heard a series of quiet thumps. Smiling to himself he realised Ginny had been on the landing listening to what was being said downstairs. Stepping into Ginny's room he found her sat on her bed with what looked like several scrap books spread out in front of her.

"So, what did the two idiots have to say for themselves" Ginny asked

"Basically, it was all Charlie's idea, they admit they let it go too far and they are now sorry, but as I heard you run across the landing I suspect you know all that already" he said with a grin

"I don't know what you're on about" she said sweetly "anyway I've been thinking about what you said earlier and you were right. If I share this stuff with you they can't wind me up with it later"

"I have to admit when I suggested you share it with me I was thinking of the one book they were throwing around, I hadn't expected an entire encyclopaedia" he teased

"If you are going to make jokes…" Ginny started to pile up the books in front of her

"Hey! you know I wouldn't deliberately belittle anything you wanted to share with me. I'm sorry that comment was a badly timed, I was trying to lighten the mood and got it wrong, I'm sorry"

Putting the books back down she saw the sincerity in his eyes and took a deep breath "I'm sorry Harry, I know you wouldn't, I guess those idiots have me a tad wound up"

"That's understandable after the last two weeks"

Moving over she made room for Harry to sit down, when he joined her on the bed she picked up one of the books.

"Harry I need you to understand this isn't the easiest thing for me" Harry nodded to show he understood but didn't speak as not to interrupt her "You know how I had a crush on you that started before we ever met?" Harry nodded again "well these are for want of a better way of putting it my Harry Potter Diary's"

"OK and when did you start these diaries?"

"When I was eight nearly nine" replied Ginny starting to blush

"and when did you stop the diaries?"

"After my first year" she whispered

"Oh, god Gin I'm sorry I didn't think" exclaimed Harry

After a brief pause, Ginny continued "It's alright Harry I think the term diary is too strong for these books, like I said it was for want of a better word. Either way what I wrote in these books is different to what I wrote in riddles diary"

"I'm not sure I should ask this but in what way different?" asked Harry

"These are mostly a child's fantasy's, what I wrote in riddles diary was more real. Even at a distance I could see you weren't the person I grew up crushing over, but at the time that only served to make some aspects of my crush over you stronger"

Looking into her eyes, Harry realised that admission had cost her, it was something she had never intended to reveal, except to perhaps himself and only him.

"So, what did eight or nine-year-old Ginny Weasley want from Harry Potter"

"Promise you won't laugh" said Ginny

"I promise I won't laugh …too much"

Smiling Ginny pulled over the first of the books and placed it between them. They spent the afternoon going through each of the books in turn, reading the younger Ginny's plans for her life with a boy she had never met. At first Ginny was nervous, not being sure how harry would react to the content of the books, but Harry never once teased her about what was in the books, he laughed at times but never mocked and she found herself relaxing. In the end, they both enjoyed the afternoon with Harry feeling honoured she had shared this bit of her past with him.


	9. Chapter 9 Charlies Final Move

Chapter 9 Charlie's Final Move

As it was Charlie made his final move the following morning. Ginny and her parents were enjoying a quiet breakfast and waiting for the rest of the family to come downstairs, when their peace was suddenly shattered.

"GET OUT" Screamed a voice that was barely recognisable as Harry's "GET OUT I SAID"

Ginny and her parents barely had a few seconds to glance up and see Harry and Charlie in a confused mass of rage and anger.

Harry had Charlie by the scruff of his neck in his left hand, in his right was his wand, his aim of which was varying, almost as if he was aiming wherever the latest curse or hex his anger fuelled brain was thinking of at the time. Afterwards it was often commented on that the only thing saving Charlie at that point was Harry's self-control.

Harry forced Charlie backwards down the stairs, through the living room and though the kitchen, when they reached the back-door Harry removed the door from its hinges with a blasting hex, just before thrusting Charlie through the door way and screaming,

"GET OUT AND LEAVE, DON'T COME BACK UNTIL YOU'VE GROWN A BRAIN AND ARE WILLING TO APOLOGISE"

Charlie stumbled and finally fell backwards into the dirt, "What the hell Potter, you can't throw me out of this house"

"Oh, I can't can I?" said Harry turning back to the house. He saw that Ginny, Molly and Arthur were stood in the broken doorway. Marching back towards the door grasped Ginny by the arm and pulled her forwards "I'm sorry Ginny but Charlie has something he would like to share with you"

Charlie looked at Ginny with fear in his eyes, before twisting and apparating away without saying a word. Molly, Arthur and Ginny all looked at Harry with looks of bewilderment mixed with a trace of fear, none of them had ever seen Harry show such a display of anger.

"Harry your hurting my arm" said Ginny

Harry who had been stood rigid staring at the spot that Charlie had apparated from, turned to look at Ginny as if seeing her stood there for the first time. Suddenly he let go of her arm with a look of horror on his face. Seeing the look on his face Ginny pulled Harry into a hug and whispered soothing words to help him calm down.

"I'm sorry Gin I never want to hurt you, Charlie got me so wound up I didn't know what I was doing" said Harry

"We know you wouldn't intentionally hurt Ginny son" said Arthur coming up behind them "But would you mind telling us what that was all about?"

Ginny who still had her arms around Harry could feel him instantly tense up.

"I think it was Charlie's latest attempt at a wind up" started Harry "Only this time he changed tactics and approached me instead of Ginny. I wouldn't have lost my temper but he went too far"

"Harry what did Charlie do?" asked Ginny

At Ginny's question Harry looked at her and froze, clearly not wanting to tell her what had happened.

"Err Gin I think I'd better discuss this with your dad first" said Harry

"Dad why?" asked Ginny confused "If it involves me I want to know Harry"

"I know you do. Although part of me doesn't want to tell you, I don't want to keep it from you, but I think it would be best if I got your dads advice on how to approach it first"

Before she had a chance to protest Harry stepped away from her and beckoned Arthur to follow him. They stood about twelve feet from Ginny and Molly and spoke in whispers and hushed tones. The only thing Ginny heard was her fathers shocked exclamation of "I don't believe Charlie would say such a thing"

"Dad it's true" said a voice behind Ginny making her jump. Turning around she saw George was stood with her and her mum, while Ron and Hermione were stood in the kitchen doorway. Turning to George she saw he was looking across the yard at Harry and her dad. When he spoke again.

"Dad what Harry is telling you is true I heard every word. Charlie is lucky Harry just threw him out"

Ginny turned on George "George what did Charlie say to Harry?"

George looked to his father who shook his head slowly, before walking back across the yard with Harry.

"For Merlin's sake, will someone tell me what's happened" screamed Ginny

Arthur pulled his daughter into a hug, "I'm sorry Ginny, I know this isn't fair considering it concerns you, but I think it best just for now that you don't know" he released her from the hug so Harry could put his arm around her to comfort her.

"Right now, the best thing we can do is finish breakfast and when we find out where Charlie has gone to I will go and speak to him" said Arthur "err sorry to bring this up but did anyone happen to see where the door landed?"

"Door? Landed?" said Harry with a confused look on his face

Ginny looked up at Harry with concern "Harry you blasted the back door of its hinges. Don't you remember?"

Harry froze and his eyes went wide with concern "err no I don't, Charlie's comments put me in such a rage I mustn't have known what I was doing, I didn't hurt anyone did I?"

"Don't worry Harry no one got hurt, we've all been provoked at some time" said Arthur putting a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder.

They found the door some twenty feet away from the house, Harry who was feeling guilty for blasting the door of its hinges and feeling ashamed for losing his temper so badly, insisted on helping Arthur in repairing the door and the door frame. Molly meanwhile bustled everyone else back into the kitchen and started serving breakfast to those who had come down late.

Harry after helping to fix the door, sat down next to Ginny and promptly had a large plate of bacon and eggs placed in front of him by Molly with orders to eat up. To begin with Harry picked at his food, the worry about the current situation was weighing heavy on him. "You had better eat that or mum won't leave you alone" whispered Ginny leaning into him so she could steal a piece of his bacon. "Thief" said Harry as he helped himself to her toast.

"I'm a bit surprised you haven't complained more and demanded to know what Charlie said" said Harry

"I was going to" started Ginny "but I saw the look in dad's eyes, I've only seen it once or twice before, it's the look he gets before he starts to yell, you know you've done something wrong when dad starts shouting with real anger, it's worse than mum shouting, dads so laid back he hardly ever shouts and lets mum tell us off normally, I realised that whatever Charlie said it must be really bad and I didn't want to upset dad any more than he already is"

Somehow this explanation made Harry feel worse, sensing this Ginny turned to face Harry, placing her hand on his cheek "Harry you didn't do anything wrong, Charlie provoked you and you defended me. Do you know how happy and safe it makes me feel to know you're always there for me, being my protector?"

Harry reached up and held her hand in his but didn't remove her hand from his face, shaking his head he said "Gin, I lost my temper and flew into a rage so bad I don't remember blasting the kitchen door twenty feet across the yard, someone could have been hurt"

"If someone had been hurt it wouldn't have been your fault, you are not someone who goes around blasting doors off their hinges for the fun of it, if someone had been hurt it would have been Charlie's fault for provoking you in the first place. I won't let you blame yourself for this, now eat up I have a feeling we are going to need our strength later whenever Charlie turns up"

Somehow Ginny's words made Harry feel better about what had happened, perhaps it was simply the fact that Ginny wasn't letting him blame himself. Suddenly feeling hungry Harry dug into his breakfast with gusto, while having to defend his bacon from a giggling Ginny.

The young couple had been completely unaware that their conversation had been observed by everyone in the kitchen, though no one had paid more attention to what was being said than Ron. When Charlie had approached him with the idea to prank Ginny he had eagerly agreed and participated at first. He had dropped out of the pranking the day they had resized Ginny's shoes and Harry had come downstairs with sparks emitting out of his wand. He had seen the warning signs and backed off but he hadn't noticed how the pranking had been affecting Ginny and had never realised they were going too far. He had heard about the incident with Bill and how Ginny had declared Harry as her protector, he had dismissed her statement as a heat of the moment thing and not given it any more thought. Ginny's refusing to let Harry blame himself along with calling him her protector again was making Ron feel uncomfortable and guilty. As one of her brothers he had always seen himself as one of her protectors, he was starting to realise how Ginny must have felt when five of her protectors turned on her. Ironically where Ginny's words had given Harry his appetite back, they had caused Ron to lose his. Pushing his half full plate away from himself and standing he turned to address Ginny.

"Ginny, I want to say I'm really sorry for what we have done to you over the last two weeks, it was meant to be a bit of fun but we got carried away and went miles too far, I regret my part in it and I hope you can forgive me" at that he turned and stumbled out of the kitchen, heading towards the stairs

Ginny was stunned, whenever her brothers had apologised in the past, the apologies had always felt more forced than voluntary, though this may have something to do with their more than formidable mother standing over them when they apologised. Ron's apology was a shock because he hadn't been forced to give it. It took Harry giving her a nudge to bring her out of the frozen state Ron's apology had put her in.

"What" she said with the stunned look still on her face

"For Merlin's sake go after him, he's obviously regretting what he's done to you" said Harry

One look at Harry mad her realise he was right and Ron really did feel guilty, suddenly standing she ran out of the kitchen and followed Ron up the stairs. Harry in the meantime smiled while helping himself to the rest of Ginny breakfast. Seeing the reproachful look Hermione gave him he shrugged before saying "I'll make her some fresh breakfast when she gets back"

Ginny returned to the kitchen feeling happier than she had done in days, the chat with Ron had helped her to forgive him. Similarly, to Harry earlier her chat with Ron had caused some of her appetite to return, wanting to finish her breakfast she was at first shocked then mildly angry to find her plate empty except for one half eaten slice of toast. Harry meanwhile was sitting with a cup of tea and the newspaper and was clearly failing to keep a grin off his face. Standing next to the table with her hands on her hips, in a near perfect imitation of her mother, she faked a look of annoyance on her face stared down at Harry and spoke loudly "HARRY JAMES POTTER would you kindly explain what has happened to my breakfast?"

Jumping slightly Harry looked up at Ginny, grinning widely "I'm afraid some inconsiderate person helped themselves to it, I tried to stop them but failed, they did leave you some though" he said indicating the half-eaten slice on her plate.

Ginny at this point was struggling to keep her own face straight and just raised her eyebrows in mock anger.

"I suppose" continued Harry "as you've had your breakfast stolen I could make you a new one"

Grinning while she sat down she said "that would be lovely thank you"

"So, toast and jam it is then" said Harry standing up

"Actually, I'd like sausage, bacon and scrambled eggs thank you"

"Are you sure? Toast and jam would be quicker" teased Harry

"Don't push your luck Harry"

Giving her a quick kiss on the cheek Harry dived to the cooker before Molly could take over.

When Ginny was finished with breakfast she had settled in the living room cuddling with Harry, she was so comfortable and content she had started to forget that mornings troubles when they heard a crack from outside, followed by the sounds of a struggle and a bellowed shout from the kitchen.

"Mum, Dad, Ginny, Harry" bellowed a voice that was clearly Bill's

Bills shout caused every occupant of the house to come running to the kitchen, being in the living room Harry and Ginny got there first with Arthur and Molly close behind. Similar to earlier that morning Bill was stood in the kitchen clutching Charlie by the scruff of his neck clearly in a state of barely controlled rage, but whereas Harry had thrown Charlie out of the house Bill had clearly just thrown him into it. Charlie for his part stood there with a mixture of fear and shame on his face, he kept glancing between Bill and the floor but never once looked at Ginny or her parents.

The first thing Harry noticed about Charlie was a livid black eye he had surrounding his left eye. A feeling of intense worry washed over Harry, a quick glance at Bill, who had let go of Charlie for the moment and was rubbing his right hand. Clearly Bill hadn't been able to control himself quite as well as Harry had and had punched his own brother in defence of Ginny. At first no one spoke, Harry for one had no idea what to do in a situation like this, he wanted someone to speak or failing that to start shouting if for no other reason than to break the mounting tension.

"What happened to your eye Charlie?" asked Arthur, his voice sounded unnatural. There was none of his usual casual cheerfulness, instead his words were cold and hard.

"I fell over when I apparated to Shell Cottage and bumped into something" replied Charlie

"What happened to your hand Bill" asked Arthur

"When I heard what, this prat had done I lost my temper and hit him" said Bill

"So, you're now lying as well as handing out disgusting insults" stated Arthur

A look of panic crossed Charlie's face "I... I … I didn't want Bill to get into trouble for something I deserved" he stammered

"What did you say to Harry?" asked Ginny in a firm but quiet voice. She was radiating anger and was glaring at Charlie like she wanted to kill him.

"You don't know? Didn't harry tell you?" asked Charlie

"No what you said was so bad Harry spoke to me first and I thought it best not to tell her straight away" answered Arthur

At this Charlie seemed to panic, he clearly had expected Ginny to already know what he had said, he hadn't expected to have to say it to her face, his eyes seemed to be darting between Arthur, Harry and Ginny.

"Well I'm waiting" stated Ginny she had her arms crossed and was doing another good impression of her mother, though Harry didn't think right now would be a good time to point this out.

"Well I … err I … I might have…" stammered Charlie

"YOU MIGHT HAVE?" shouted Harry making everyone jump. He had been keeping calm up until that point but Charlie's use of the word might had angered him.

"Sorry Harry I shouldn't have said might as I defiantly did" said Charlie turning to Ginny he took a deep breath "Ginny I said you were only interested in Harry because of his money and implied he might be paying…"

Charlie never finished his sentence, not because he didn't want to though, Ginny in a brief flurry of movement had taken two steps forward and had slapped Charlie across his face with all the force she could muster. Charlie was left standing with his head hanging with shame and a livid red hand print just below his black eye. Ginny for a few moments stood in front of Charlie breathing heavily, with her eyes bulging with anger, before she turned on her heels and stormed from the kitchen. Everyone hurried to get out of her way. The only thing she said as she left the kitchen was "HARRY!" realising he was meant to follow her, he hurried out of the kitchen and ran up the stairs to Ginny's bedroom.

When he got there the door was still open and stepping into the room he found Ginny in a frenzy, she had her school locker open and was currently throwing clothes into it like mad.

"Gin what are you doing" asked Harry

"Were leaving go pack your trunk" was the worrying reply

"Excuse me"

"I said we are leaving we are not staying here to be treated like this. Two weeks of hell followed by that … that … insult! Go pack your trunk"

"Gin where are we going to go"

"Your place"

For once Harry was glad he hadn't returned to Grimmauld place, he had meant to, but it hadn't been high on list of priorities, and he had ended up putting it off.

"Gin I haven't been back to Grimmauld place since we were forced to flee and the death eaters got in, I don't know if it is safe to enter the building as there are probably booby traps and Merlin knows what else"

Ginny however wasn't going to be stopped that easily.

"Well take a tent, if anything that will be better, you can put some wards up and they won't be able to find us, well finally be left alone"

Harry knew at this point he had to choose his words carefully, he didn't want to end up living in a tent, he had spent the better part of nine months living in a tent and had no desire to repeat the experience so soon. But he was fully aware he couldn't or possibly shouldn't use that as an excuse.

Stepping forward he took hold of Ginny and pulled her into strong hug and held her there while saying "Ginny I love you and I would do anything that would make you happy, but this isn't it, running away from home isn't going to solve anything, Charlie has a lot to answer for and I'll do whatever I can to make sure he does, but I can't do that if we are dodging booby traps at Grimmauld place or hiding behind wards in the middle of nowhere"

As he finished speaking Ginny broke down completely, burying her face in Harry's chest and sobbed uncontrollably. Harry held her tight and only when the sobs had started to slow down did he attempt to move her to the bed so they could sit down. Ginny once again seemed to have another death grip on his t-shirt, reminding him of the day they had the debriefing. While keeping hold of Ginny, Harry leant back so he was leaning against the head board. Ginny almost automatically changed position so she was lying on the bed with her head-on Harry's chest, the only thing that didn't change was her grip on his t-shirt. Before long she had dozed off and was asleep, seemingly exhausted. Harry found himself reflecting that Ginny had been right about them needing to keep their strength up that morning.

Harry, found that he himself couldn't sleep, but found the current situation surprisingly relaxing, he kept his arms around Ginny and despite her being asleep kept rubbing his hands up and down her back. Eventually there was a soft knock at the door, worried about who it might be, while hoping it was one of her parents he called out "come in quietly".

The door opened softly to reveal Molly, she looked at her daughter asleep on Harry's chest and was relieved she could find some calming comfort after what had happened. Pulling over a chair she sat down next to the bed and spoke to Harry in hushed tones so not to disturb Ginny.

"I'm so sorry about this Harry, I don't know what's got into Charlie, I probably wouldn't believe it if he hadn't admitted it himself, two weeks of stupidity followed by that insult and not just an insult at Ginny but you too. You should be proud of the way you handled today Harry, most people would have understandably acted far worse"

"Molly I blasted the door twenty feet across the yard"

"True" said molly chuckling quietly "But you chose to blast the door instead of Charlie, unlike Bill who punched his own brother"

"I still, feel guilty about blasting the door someone could have been hurt"

"Maybe, but Ginny was right this morning, you wouldn't have done that if Charlie hadn't provoked you, this is all Charlie's fault not yours. You and Ginny are the only ones who have acted properly throughout all this, don't ever forget that. How was she after you left the kitchen?"

Harry pointed at Ginny's nearly full trunk, there couldn't have been many of Ginny clothes that weren't in it.

"Oh, I see" said Molly

"At first, she wanted to go to Grimmauld place till I pointed out it probably isn't safe, then she was all for taking a tent and sleeping Merlin knows where surrounded by wards so we couldn't be found" said Harry "What happened to Charlie after we left?"

"I'm not too sure to be honest, Arthur dragged him over to his shed and I haven't heard anything from them since. Between you and me Harry it's a bit disconcerting, as you've probably realised Arthur rarely gets angry. If he's shouts you know you've done wrong"

"Yes, I had noticed and Ginny commentated on it this morning"

"What's worrying me a bit is Arthur seems to have skipped his shouting phase and reached some new level of calm anger I've never seen before"

"Well we can only hope Charlie picks up on that" said Harry

Molly found herself simply nodding in agreement. "I came up to see if either of you wanted something to eat, its past two already"

"I'm OK at the moment, well see how we feel when Ginny wakes up" Harry paused briefly tying to consider the best way to phrase his next question "Molly I suspect Ginny won't want to be alone tonight, I know you have a house rule of no unmarried couples sleeping together, but I was hoping I could have your permission to stay with her tonight?"

Molly appeared to be thinking for a moment "Under the circumstances I think we can allow it for tonight, considering the way you have handled recent events I think you have earned our trust enough to give Ginny some comfort when she needs it"

"Thank you"

Ginny eventually woke up around three in the afternoon, but even then, she seemed more lost and afraid than anything else, at first when Harry spoke to her she replied with just nods and shakes of her head while still holding onto his t-shirt and keeping her head buried in his chest.

"Are you OK?" resulted in a shake

"Are you feeling better than before?" a small nod

"Are you hungry" resulted in a most definite nod

"Shall I go down and fetch some food" a firm shake

"Do you want to go down a fetch some food" an even firmer shake

"How about I pop downstairs and ask your mum to bring some up?" a shrug of her shoulders

Harry forced them both into sitting positions so he could look Ginny in her eyes. "Ginny what have I told you before about eating?"

"Eat, you'll feel better" she whispered

"So how about I nip downstairs and ask your mum to bring some sandwiches and tea up? Plus, while I'm at it I can put on a dry t-shirt" said Harry smiling

"OK" was all she said quietly

Standing up Harry looked at Ginny with concern, she wasn't acting like the vibrant, independent girl he had fallen in love with, he hated seeing her like this, it was understandable after everything that had happened, but it just wasn't her normal reaction to things and Harry was feeling lost as what to say or do.

Suddenly Harry was struck with an idea, it was either brilliance or madness he decided, but as he had no other ideas presenting themselves he decided to run with it.

"Right you have ten seconds to give me a genuine smile if not I'm going to tickle you until you do"

"Harry what?"

"Ten"

"Harry I'm not…"

"Nine"

"…in the mood"

"Eight"

"Harry, you…"

"Seven"

"Wouldn't dare"

"Six" with each count he was gradually moving closer to Ginny who was starting to smile

"I'm warning …"

"Five"

"You Harry"

"Four"

"Don't you…" try as she might the grin was getting larger

"Three"

"Dare you …"

"Two"

"Git"

"Last chance one"

"Don't you ahh you git"

Harry taking some encouragement from Ginny's reaction put his hands on her hips and started tickling her up and down the side of her torso, once he had her writhing on her back laughing with his tickling he moved his hands down to her thighs which he knew were sensitive to being tickled. Once he had her full attention from tickling her thighs, he learnt in and started kissing her shoulders and throat. Putting her arms around Harry's neck she pulled him across so she could kiss him on the lips.

Pulling away from her so he could catch his breath, Harry was relieved to see her smiling back at him. "See was that so difficult?"

"Git, you don't play fair" said Ginny while playfully punching him on the arm.

"Well I had to try something" replied Harry

Suddenly both their stomachs growled with hunger, laughing at the duel reminded of their need to eat Harry sat up and turned to Ginny. "I don't think we can put of eating much longer, do you want me to go fetch something or are you coming down with me"

"I'll come down with you" replied Ginny "can't hide in here forever"

As he stood Harry saw Ginny's wand on her bedside cabinet and instinctively picked it up and put it in his pocket with his own.

"Harry what are you doing with my wand?"

"Hopefully I'm being over cautious. I just thought it might be best if I protected you from yourself, I don't want you to walk downstairs and start flinging curses at Charlie, I really don't want to have to visit Azkaban in order to see my girlfriend"

Ginny smiled before giving him a quick kiss "You know me too well, now come on I'm hungry"

After quickly changing his t-shirt for one that wasn't damp with tears, they went downstairs. When they got to the living room Charlie was sat in the middle of the sofa with his head in his hands, hearing them come into the room he looked up and started to stand.

"Ginny I'm sorry I don't know why I said what I did" said Charlie

Ginny didn't acknowledge Charlie, she grabbed Harry's hand and stormed into the kitchen, practically dragging Harry with her.

Upon entering the kitchen Molly and Arthur looked up from their drinks.

"How are you both?" asked Arthur

"Hungry" they replied in unison

"I thought you might be" said Molly "I've kept some soup warm for you" and she busied herself serving out two bowls of soup with bread.

As she picked up her spoon Ginny suddenly realised how much her right hand was hurting and that she couldn't hold her spoon steady before eventually dropping it and crying put in pain. Molly without being asked came to Ginny side and using her wand quickly examined her daughters arm and wrist. "I'm afraid you sprained your wrist when you slapped the idiot" said Molly she quickly put a balm on Ginny wrist and wrapped it in bandages for support "It'll be fine in the morning but you won't be able to use it till then"

Ginny switched to her left hand but continued to struggle, with not being used to using her left hand, Harry who had finished his own lunch, couldn't bare to see her struggle, reached over and took the spoon out of her hand.

"What are you doing Harry"

"Trying to help" said Harry "So far you appear to have ended up wearing more of the soup than you have actually eaten"

Looking down she saw he was right but she still protested "I'm not a child Harry"

"Are you sure, you certainly look like you need a bib" he teased

"Don't make me hex you Harry"

"And don't forget you can't at the moment"

As Ginny finally gave in and allowed Harry to help her, Molly and Arthur shared a puzzled look, confused over Harry's last comment.

As Ginny was finishing her lunch, no one noticed as Charlie came into the kitchen, he paused briefly seeing Harry feeding soup to Ginny. Walking up behind her he put his hand on her shoulder "Ginny can we talk please"

Harry saw Ginny instantly stiffen, the cheerful look she'd had on her face was replaced with one of rage "Don't. Touch. Me." she said in firm clipped tones. Breathing heavily, she slowly turned to Charlie, who upon seeing the look on her face removed his hand quickly and stepped back away from Ginny.

"Don't. Touch. Me. Ever. Again. Don't even talk to me, just stay away and you just might live. You are lucky I don't have my wand right now because I doubt you would be leaving this room alive after what you said this morning"

Charlie appeared to be frozen, his mouth was hanging open, while he looked at Ginny.

"Ginny what do you mean you haven't got your wand" asked Arthur

Ginny turned to her parents "Harry was concerned I wouldn't be able to control myself in front of Charlie so he confiscated my wand for the time being and if I'm honest I'm glad he did as I don't particularly fancy going to Azkaban for killing someone as worthless as him" she pointed at Charlie

"And I thought I was over reacting" muttered Harry

"What was that Harry" asked Ginny with faked sweetness

"Absolutely nothing" replied Harry rather quickly

"Well I feel the need for some fresh air, shall we go for a walk?"

"Good idea" said Harry who was more interested in getting her out of the kitchen.

"Ginny please I'm your brother" cried Charlie in desperation

"Not any more you're not, although I am curious about one thing, which one do you think I am?" asked Ginny

"What do you mean?" asked Charlie nervously

"Well based on your comment earlier its clear to me you think I'm either a gold digger or a prostitute, so which is it? As you were accusing Harry of paying me I'm going to go with prostitute"

For the second-time Charlie stood frozen to the spot. There was no way he could answer that question without making the situation worse. If he said Gold digger, he'd insult Ginny and be accused of outright lying, if he said prostitute he wouldn't be accused of lying but the insult would be far worse. Harry was thankful he chose to say nothing. Wand or no wand he didn't think Ginny would let him leave the kitchen alive if he actually answered.

"Well at least you're not denying it I suppose" said Ginny

At that she used her left hand to grab Harry's hand and for the second time in an hour practically dragged Harry out of the room and into the yard.

The last thing Harry saw of the kitchen was a fleeting glance of Charlie sitting at the table with his head in his hands while Arthur stood over him saying "You've only got yourself to blame"

Harry and Ginny found a path next to the stream and walked along it till they found a scenic spot under a tree where they sat with Harry leaning against the tree with Ginny in front of Harry leaning back against Harry. Neither of them said much with both of them appreciating the calming atmosphere the spot provided. Which was a welcome break from the day they'd had so far.

Deciding not to worry her parents they headed back in time for dinner, which was its usual lively affair, everyone currently staying at the Burrow was there except for Charlie. Neither Harry or Ginny asked where he was and no one volunteered the information. After dinner Harry saw that Ginny was getting tired. He wasn't surprised considering the day she'd had. Suggesting they go to bed early, they headed upstairs to Ginny's room. When they got there Ginny seemed nervous at first until she explained she didn't want to be alone. Harry realising he hadn't told her earlier, explained about having Molly's permission to stay with her that night. Ginny's eyes lit up and while hugging Harry she looked up at him and suggested they could have some fun that night with a cheeky grin on her face.

Harry though seriously tempted decided to put a quick end to that idea.

"Well maybe a bit of fun" he said "Your mum gave me permission to stay with you if you needed some comfort after what's happened today. As she's letting us break a house rule I'd rather not abuse her trust, because if we did, there's no way she'd let us break it again"

"Spoilsport" said Ginny grinning though she knew he was right. Pushing him to the door she sent him into his room to get changed, while she got changed in hers.

Out on the landing Harry bumped into Molly, he checked Ginny's door was closed, before quickly handing her Ginny's wand along with both of his wand's and whispered "Just in case". Thankfully Molly just nodded her understanding and quickly pocketed them, before heading downstairs. Harry felt a bit strange being without a wand, he also felt a bit guilty for handing over their wands to Molly without telling Ginny, but her earlier admission had him worried and he had realised he couldn't stop Ginny from retrieving a wand and doing something drastic if he was asleep.

Once back in Ginny's room they both got into bed, having never shared a bed before it took them some time to find a position they were both comfortable with. When they settled with Harry on his back and with Ginny on her side with her head on his chest they both soon fell into a deep sleep.

Harry had dropped off to sleep hoping the next day would prove to be calmer than the last, unfortunately the day started almost as bad as the last.


	10. Chapter 10 Making Things Worse

_An - I just want to say a quick thankyou to Iwik and mdauben for your reviews and insights, I really do appreciate them. I have decided to release the five "Charlie side story" chapters close together so they make more sence to those following the story, so the next two chapters will be coming soon._

 _Hope you all enjoy this chapter. Please leave your reviews/comments/thoughts. As I've said before this is my first time writing anything so anything that may help me do better next time would be welcome._

Chapter 10 Making Things Worse

Harry awoke when he became aware that something was missing, that something was Ginny, during the night he had gotten used to the weight of Ginny's body lying next to him and her absence had awoken him. Looking at his watch he saw it was quarter past five in the morning. He suddenly realised he could hear noises coming from somewhere outside Ginny's room. Stepping onto the landing he saw the door to his room was open, Charlie was stood in the doorway with his back to Harry, trying to look around Charlie he saw a flash of long red hair.

"What's going on" he asked

At the sound of his voice Charlie jumped and turned sideways, giving Harry the chance he needed to get into his room. Inside he found a very angry and distressed Ginny. His room was in complete disarray, Ginny had clearly gone through every piece of furniture looking for their wands. Stepping up to Ginny he put his arms around her and pulled her into him. Thankfully she turned, putting her own arms around Harry and buried her face in his chest.

Feeling himself getting angry he looked over at Charlie and glared at the older man "As it's so early I'm in no mood to muck about, you have till the count of three then I'm giving Ginny her wand back and if needed I'll lie in court to give her an alibi" Harry was all too aware it was a bluff, thankfully it worked, he didn't even get to a count of one before Charlie ran down the stairs.

"Come on let's go back to bed" said Harry

Harry was thankful she didn't argue and allowed herself to be guided back to bed, once they were back in their chosen position she soon fell asleep.

Harry was eventually woken up by the sound of knocking on the bedroom door. Looking down he saw that Ginny was still asleep, thinking he recognised the knock as Molly's he quietly called come in.

Carefully opening the door Molly stepped into the room, seeing Ginny was still asleep she quietly sat in the chair as she had done the day before.

Speaking in a whisper Molly spoke to Harry "I'm sorry for intruding but Charlie's got me a bit concerned this morning, he seems almost desperate to get out of the house, I'm assuming something happened last night but he won't admit to anything. I'm afraid my concern got the better of me and I wanted to see you two were alright"

"Well let's put it this way Molly I think it would be a good idea if you got Charlie out of the house before either of us come downstairs"

"Oh, for Merlin's sake what's he gone and done now"

"I won't know for certain until Ginny wakes up, but I'm guessing they both went to the bathroom around the same time last night and bumped into each other on the stairs, I was woken up at quarter past five to noises outside of the room, I found Charlie stood in my bedroom doorway with Ginny inside, going through every single drawer and cabinet in my room. Presumably trying to find her wand"

"What did he say to her?"

"No idea. I bluffed and told Charlie he had to the count of three before I gave Ginny her wand back, at which point he ran. I got Ginny back in bed and she fell asleep without saying anything"

Looking up at Molly Harry could see the anger starting to build behind her eyes "Right I'll deal with Charlie this time, you two have a lie in and I'll see you whenever you're ready, I'll keep some breakfast warm for you" Standing up she crossed to the door before stopping and turning back "I think you and Ginny should consider going out for the day, not just a walk or a picnic but something that will take you away from the Burrow, it should help take your minds off things, maybe consider inviting Ron and Hermione"

"That sounds like an idea, I'll let you know what we decide when we come downstairs"

After Molly had left Harry closed his eyes and let himself drift back to sleep.

When Harry finally awoke, he woke up slowly and didn't open his eyes straight away, he realised that there was a weight on his chest, slowly becoming more alert he finally opened his eyes and looked straight into Ginny's twinkling eyes. He suddenly realised the weight on his chest was Ginny. Having woken up before him she was now lying on top of him, she had her arms crossed over his chest and was resting her chin on her arms.

"Morning beautiful" said Harry

"Morning handsome" replied Ginny

"So, is this your way of waking me or are you trying a new sleeping position?"

"Wake you up? hardly!" said Ginny laughing "I've been lying like this for thirty minutes before you showed any sign of waking up, I'm lying like this because you moved in your sleep, making it impossible for me to lie down next to you, so I thought if you are going to use the whole mattress I'm going to use you as a mattress"

"Fair enough" Harry said laughing "I was just wondering do you want to go out today?"

"Out for a walk you mean"

"No I mean out as in away from the Burrow, maybe invite Ron and Hermione, I think it would be nice to spend the day relaxing with friends"

"I think that's a great idea, but we'll have to get permission from my mum" said Ginny pulling a face, clearly presuming she wouldn't be allowed out.

"We already have your mum's permission" said Harry grinning

"Since when?" asked a stunned Ginny "Plus since when have you been able to talk mum into letting us do things?"

"I don't just defeat dark wizards you know" said Harry laughing "sweet talking my girlfriends mum is just one of my lesser known abilities"

Raising her eyebrows to show she didn't believe him Ginny simply said "yeah right"

Laughing still Harry decided it was time to admit the truth "OK the day out was your mum's idea, I think she's being so amenable because of the situation with Charlie, she figured out something happened during the night and came up to check we were OK earlier"

Upon hearing Charlie's name Ginny's demeanour cooled somewhat, looking down at Harry she started to speak "I've got to admit I'm impressed Harry, I thought I knew every nook and cranny in this house but you managed to hide our wands somewhere I don't know about, where did you hide them?"

"Oh, I'm sure you know about where I hid the wands, but I'm also sure it is the last place you would think of looking, as for telling you, well I'm keeping it a secret until this situation is resolved"

"Hmmm you know me too well Potter" said Ginny leaning down to kiss him "So where are we going today?"

Thinking for a moment, Harry had a sudden flash of inspiration "Do I remember you saying that muggle entertainment would probably come up in your final year of Muggle studies?"

"Yeah why?"

"I was just thinking we could go to the cinema, we could do a double feature as I think the muggles would say"

"What's a double feature?" asked Ginny

"It's where you watch two films one after the other. I was thinking we could watch one film, grab a late lunch then watch a second film and be back for around dinner time"

"OK do you want to get some breakfast while I grab a shower then we can swap and you can ask Ron and Hermione while your downstairs"

"You definitely want to invite them?"

"Yes, you were right it would be nice to spend time with friends"

Decisions made, Harry headed downstairs and wasn't surprised to find Ron and Hermione still sat at the kitchen table. Typically, Ron was still eating while Hermione was reading a book. Sitting down Harry saw two plates of food being kept warm over blue flames. While helping himself to one of the plates he started talking.

"You know Ron I find it amazing that no matter how much reading Hermione does she still manages to find room to store it all. I mean surely there's got to be an upper limit sooner or later" teased Harry, looking over at Ron he saw him smiling but he didn't comment "I for one wouldn't want to risk hitting that upper limit so early in life, wouldn't you agree Ron?"

At this point, Ron's shoulders were visibly shaking with laughter and he was clearly struggling from laughing out loud, Hermione however was alternating between scowling at her boyfriend and glaring daggers at Harry.

"Due to the distinct lack of studying you two do, I'll be amazed if either of you ever hit your so called upper limit" said Hermione who firmly lifted her book and held it in front of herself so she wouldn't have to look at either Harry or Ron.

"Now that is a shame Ron. There were me and Ginny hoping to invite the two of you out for the day and Hermione is dead stuck on studying so it'll just be the two of us"

"Hey aren't I your best mate I could still come" said Ron this statement was followed by Ron jerking sideways. Harry assumed this was because Hermione had just kicked him under the table. "What I meant to say was what were you thinking of doing today? Perhaps I could change Hermione's mind" This comment was followed by a second jerk from Ron, presumably because Hermione had kicked him again.

Looking over at Hermione Harry saw that she still had her book firmly held so she couldn't see Harry but the book had changed position and Harry suspected she was looking at Ron.

Smiling as he knew he had her interest, Harry turned to answer Ron's question. "Well we were thinking of going to the Cinema, Ginny thinks muggle entertainment will come up on her newts, plus it should be fun, we were wondering if the two of you would like to come, the idea is to watch a film, grab a late lunch and then watch a second film"

"Ooh a double feature" squealed Hermione suddenly dropping her book before remembering the pretence she was supposed to be holding up and raising the book just as quickly.

At that outburst both Harry and Ron were bent over the kitchen table laughing silently. At least they were until Ron jerked again having been kicked a third time.

Deciding it was time to put her out of her misery Harry reached over and pushed Hermione's book down so he could look at her

"Would you like to come with us?" asked Harry

"Well I think I'd better don't you, Merlin knows what sort of trouble the three of you will get into if you don't have someone responsible to watch over you" replied Hermione "When were you thinking of leaving?"

"Whenever all of us are ready there's no rush" replied Harry "Ginny's taking a shower while I have breakfast then we were going to swap, unless you want to jump ahead in the queue, it'll only take me ten minutes to get ready"

"Thanks Harry" said Hermione heading for the stairs

Once Hermione had gone, Ron turned to Harry with a look of concern on his face "How much is this going to cost, I don't have any muggle money and hardly any Galleons, I suppose I could borrow some off George if needed"

Harry knew Ron could be sensitive about the subject of money and charity, so he knew he had to careful how he worded his reply so not to offend his best mate "Ron, today is about getting Ginny out of the house so she can forget about what's being going on for a bit. Especially after what happened this morning, I'd rather we all enjoy ourselves than worry about money"

Although Ron didn't argue he clearly wasn't happy "Look how about we make a deal, I'll pay for today and we all go out and enjoy ourselves and in return you do something for Ginny as a way of making amends for the pranks. I know you've apologised but it couldn't hurt"

"Like what" asked Ron

"Whatever your able to, as long as it's well-meaning Ginny will appreciate it. Hell, you could really redeem yourself and get the others to do something as well"

Finally smiling Ron looked at Harry and said "OK you've got a deal, I'll do anything to help Ginny through this mess we've created. Let's go sit in the living room where its more comfortable while we wait for the girls"

Following Ron into the living room, Harry noticed there was a blanket and pillow sat on the settee. Seeing the puzzled look on his face Ron explained "Charlie slept on the sofa last night"

"Why, I thought he was sharing with George?"

"He was but when George heard how Ginny has disowned Charlie he decided to distance himself from him by kicking him out of the bedroom, said he wasn't going to risk incurring Ginny's wrath by sharing a room with him"

"Where is Charlie anyway?" asked Harry

"Mum sent him to shell cottage" said Ron grinning "told him if he tried to leave the cottage she'd make sure Ginny found her wand and set her after him" after pausing for a moment Ron asked "what happened this morning Harry? Charlie was edgy all morning and after mum came back downstairs she was in such a rage"

"All I know is I was woken up at five fifteen to find Ginny looking through all of the drawers and cupboards in my room and Charlie stood in the doorway. I haven't asked Ginny yet as she was cheerful when we woke up and I didn't want to spoil her mood"

Hearing footsteps coming down the stairs, they both turned to see Ginny come into the living room, she was dressed plainly in jeans and a t-shirt and was carrying a jumper.

"Hermione is going to shout down when she is finished, how do I look" said Ginny

"Beautiful as always" replied Harry with a smile

"Thanks, but I meant will I fit in with the muggles at the cinema?"

"You'll fit in just fine dressed like that, your breakfast is on the kitchen table" explained Harry.

Turning towards the kitchen Ginny nodded her head indicating she wanted Harry to follow, once they were both sat at the kitchen table she looked at Harry and asked "Did I hear you mention Charlie?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry I know I probably should have spoken to you about it first, but everyone is puzzled as to what happened this morning. Plus, when you woke up you were so cheerful I didn't want to ruin your mood"

"I appreciate that, thank you" said Ginny between mouthfuls of food

"So, what happened?" asked Harry

"I went to the bathroom and made the mistake of leaving the bedroom door open, when I came back I found Charlie stood in the doorway" Ginny paused so she could continue eating. Harry waited without saying anything, understanding that it would be best to let her tell the story at her own pace "Obviously, he'd seen you asleep in my bed and took offense at us sharing a bed for the night, which is ironic really considering we were only in bed together because of him, at that point he started with the whole overprotective big brother routine. When I refused to wake you he tried to make me sleep in your room"

"I take it he didn't believe we had permission to share a bed last night?" Ginny who was still eating just shook her head "and you trashed my room looking for our wands?"

"Sorry about that, I'll help you put it tidy" said Ginny quietly

"I'll appreciate the help" said Harry smiling "but don't worry about it, I understand why you did it. To be honest it's a good job our wands weren't so accessible last night as I would have been severely tempted to give them to you"

"Did you mean what you said, about lying in court?" asked Ginny with a grin

Taking Ginny's hand in his Harry's reply was simple "Of course, I did" he said while smiling.

Hearing Hermione call Harry stood up insisting he went for a shower before Ron as he needed to retrieve their wands after. Ginny narrowed her eyes at this comment, clearly trying to work out where he had hidden the wands, but didn't say anything. Stepping into his room to try and find some clean clothes he was surprised to find his clothes had been picked up and folded onto the bed.

"I thought I would save you the trouble of having to pick everything up" said a voice behind Harry

Turning Harry found Molly stood in the doorway "Thanks Molly I appreciate it. When we are, all showered, and dressed we are going to go to the cinema today, should be back around dinner time but can't say for certain due to not knowing film times or how long they will be"

Seeing a blank look on Molly's face Harry quickly explained the cinema was a muggle form of entertainment.

"Oh, I see well I hope you all have a good time" Molly then quickly glanced onto the landing and stepping into the room handed Harry the three wands "You'll be needing these then to stay safe"

"Thanks Molly I might do the same tonight as a precaution" said Harry quietly, Molly just nodded her understanding and went downstairs.

When they were all showered, and dressed they met in the living room, Harry gave Ginny her wand to ensure her safety while they were out but he did so on the condition she handed it back before they returned to the Burrow. Harry could see she wasn't happy despite the fact she didn't argue. Harry wasn't happy about insisting she surrendered her wand again he felt like he was saying he didn't trust her but with Charlie seemingly wanting to make things worse he didn't want to take any chances.

After a quick trip to Gringotts to make sure they had enough muggle money, they apparated to a cinema that Hermione had visited as a child. Following the advice of the ticket seller they bought tickets to see "A Bugs Life" first and booked tickets to see "Armageddon" later on.

Spending the day away from the Burrow and secluded from the rest of the world turned out to be just what the four of them needed, though no one needed it more than Ginny.

At the end of the day when they were preparing to leave Harry was momentarily surprised when Ginny handed him her wand. Looking at the wand in his hand, Harry went to offer it back to her saying "I don't like doing this I'm basically saying I don't trust you"

"Neither of us likes it, but you are doing the right thing, I'm not sure I trust myself in front of Charlie at the moment" said Ginny refusing the wand.

With that they apparated home and spent the rest of the evening recounting the experience to the rest of the family with Arthur taking a particular interest and they ended up having to promise to take him the next time they decided to go to the cinema. Harry noticed that no one had asked where Charlie was when they came home and again no one offered the information.


	11. Chapter 11 Misplaced Guilt

Chapter 11 Misplaced guilt

Over the next few days' life at the Burrow returned more or less to normal. Charlie was still staying at the Burrow, though it was obvious that Molly and Arthur were going out of their way to keep him away from Harry and Ginny as they hardly ever saw him and when they did he kept his head down and said nothing.

One morning Harry awoke very early having had a restless night's sleep. He had been kept awake by a thought that had occurred to him the night before.

While resting in the living room after supper Ginny had dozed off with her head-on Harry's lap. While gazing down at her It had occurred to him that if he had confronted Charlie rather than allow him "to hang himself" as Harry had put it, the following insult and unpleasantness from the following days might not have happened. This thought had left Harry with a sense of guilt that he couldn't shift, as he ended up making himself feel responsible for the whole mess. It was this feeling of guilt that had resulted in his restless night and early awakening.

While lying in bed Harry realised he wanted to show Ginny how sorry he was for causing the mess or at least for not dealing with Charlie differently, but had no idea how. Giving up on sleep, Harry quietly headed downstairs to make himself some tea in the hope it would help him to think more clearly.

Not wanting to disturb anyone else Harry stood in the kitchen and carefully waited for the water to boil so he could take it off the heat as soon as possible and prevent any excess noise. He was concentrating on the water so much he was startled by Mrs Weasley's hushed cry.

"Harry! What are doing out of bed at this hour"?

Quickly mopping up some water he had spilt, Harry looked at Mrs Weasley somewhat sheepishly and said,

"I'm sorry Molly, I had a restless night and couldn't get back to sleep, so I thought I would make myself some tea. I never meant to disturb anyone else"

Looking at him with concern Mrs Weasley asked,

"What's got you so worked up you can't sleep? Is it something to do with Charlie?"

"Yea it is but not in the way you're probably thinking, he hasn't done anything new. Look Molly there's no need for you to lose out on your sleep, why don't you go back to bed"?

"Well I'm awake now and as they say two heads are better than one, so why don't you make another cup of tea and we can have a quiet chat"

Harry found himself breathing a sigh of relief, these days the first person he would normally turn to would be Ginny but as this directly involved her, Harry didn't want to involve her until he had an answer. He had thought of speaking to Ron and Hermione but wasn't sure they would understand the feeling of guilt he had been feeling since the night before.

While making Mrs Weasley a cup of tea to her liking, Harry talking quietly started to explain.

"Do you remember how I said I was going to let Charlie hang himself the day we spoke with Bill and George?"

Molly nodded while accepting her cup of tea from Harry.

"Well last night it occurred to me that if I had handled the situation differently we wouldn't be in this situation we are all in now, Ginny wouldn't have been insulted and she wouldn't have disowned her brother"

"Harry how were you supposed to handle it any differently?" asked Molly

"I could have confronted him. Let him know I knew he was the ring leader. Talked to him and made him tell us why he was doing it"

"Harry I understand why you might be feeling guilty but I don't think confronting Charlie before he came out with that insult would have had the effect you're thinking it would" replied Molly

"What do you mean?" asked Harry

"Charlie's never done anything like this before, like you said they've all played pranks but never anything like this, plus despite him feeling guilty he's made little to no attempt to put it right, I think the cause of this is something Charlie hasn't admitted to not even to himself and confronting him would most probably only delayed the inevitable" explained Molly

Though what Molly had said made sense it didn't displace the feeling of guilt Harry was feeling, "Maybe, but I still feel like I could have handled it differently, plus the fact that I've felt it necessary to confiscate her wand isn't exactly helping. Like I said to her at the cinema I'm basically saying I don't trust her"

"Harry you're not saying that at all, Ginny is mature enough to understand that people don't always think clearly when they are provoked and angry, not unlike someone who blew a certain door of its hinges" When Molly said this Harry's face went red with embarrassment and Molly chuckled at his discomfort "Ginny may not be happy without her wand but she's mature enough to let you protect her from herself. On top of which I suspect you are currently the only person who could confiscate her wand and get away with it" said Molly grinning

Harry simply smiled at Molly's last comment and nodded his head not knowing what else to say at this point.

"You and Ginny clearly share a strong bond that I only hope you can maintain and build on over the years. Despite your age's, you two are very mature and if the two of you weren't so mature I would never have considered letting you share a bed the other day. Neither would I let the current early morning arrangement continue" said Molly with a sly grin.

The current early morning arrangement that Molly was alluding to was that since they had shared a bed Ginny had been slipping into Harry's room around five or six o'clock in the morning and climbing into bed with him. The fact that Molly knew didn't surprise Harry in the slightest.

Harry was momentarily stunned however as he hadn't expected Molly to discuss his and Ginny's relationship so openly. Nevertheless, what she had said had helped him feel a bit better.

"Thanks Molly, your right of course, but it doesn't shake the guilty feeling I have, I can't help but feel I should have at least tried to put a stop to it that day, rather than sitting back and waiting for Charlie to act. I would like to make it up to her somehow but I don't know how, I had thought I could buy her something but I was worried it would be seen to be the easy way out, I did think I could take her somewhere special but I have no idea where"

Chuckling at what Harry said, yet understanding how he felt at the moment, Mrs Weasley looked him at him and said "Harry I do think you are over thinking this".

"So, what do you think I should do then Molly" asked Harry

"I think a little bit of both should be sufficient. Make a day that is just for her, if needs be let her decide where you go, buy her lunch and present her with a small gift while at lunch and make sure you explain what it is all about" said Mrs Weasley

"Okay" said Harry "that is starting to sound like a plan but what gift do you think she would accept and appreciate and when do you think I should do it"

"As for when you should do it, I think you should strike while the iron is hot and do it today, at the very least you won't lose any more sleep over it" chuckled Mrs Weasley.

Smiling at Molly's amusement Harry said "I like you're thinking on that point Molly, but if I do it today it won't give me any time to buy her a gift"

"Hmmm I suppose you could take her to Diagon Ally and let her pick something"

"Maybe" said Harry "but I wouldn't be able to surprise her with it at lunch if I did that and I do like that idea"

Harry and Molly were still sat there an hour later, putting the final details of a plan to surprise Ginny together when they heard footsteps coming down the stairs and Ginny walked into the kitchen.

Ginny wasn't surprised to see her mother downstairs already, but knowing Harry wasn't an early riser she looked at him with some concern.

"Morning Ginny dear" said Mrs Weasley "what are you doing up already"?

"Morning Mum, I woke up needing the bathroom and heard voices so I came to investigate with it being early, Harry what are doing up at this hour"?

Grinning at her concern Harry turned to Mrs Weasley and said "How do like that Molly, you get a good morning and I get an interrogation"

Molly laughed while she busied herself making Ginny a cup of tea. Ginny meanwhile was sitting down next to Harry; her initial concern was lessened as she realised he was OK but it was momentarily replaced with a flash of annoyance as she realised he was teasing her.

Seeing the flash of annoyance on Ginny's face, Harry looked at her and said "I just had a restless night that's all and when I woke up early I decided to give up on sleep and come downstairs to make myself a drink. Unfortunately, I woke your mum up in the process and we've ended up having an early morning chat"

"Okay" said Ginny looking a bit puzzled "so what are you doing today then" she asked

"I was thinking we could go out for lunch and maybe have a walk through Diagon Alley, maybe stop of at a clothes shop so I can pick a few things up, I'm starting to run low on a few things" said Harry

"I'd love to but I can't I told mum I would help her with some chores around the house" Ginny said while looking disappointed.

Turning from the cooker, where she had started to prepare breakfast, Mrs Weasley looked at them both and smiled. "The chores can wait Ginny dear, you two go out and have a nice day just the two of you and I'll have dinner waiting when you get back"

"Are you sure mum, I did promise I would help"

"I'm certain, it will do you both good to get out for the day. Now why don't you help me get breakfast ready"

With that settled and the plan to surprise Ginny now underway it became apparent as the early morning wore on that Mrs Weasley was feeling a degree of excitement over the plan they had put together as she kept making suggestions to her daughter about what she would wear that day. She was doing it so much that Harry was convinced she would end up giving the game away before they had even reached Diagon Alley.

As soon as they apparated into Diagon Alley, Ginny grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him to one side. "Now we are away from mum I want to ask you something and I want the truth and don't forget I can tell when you are withholding things Harry Potter".

Seeing a mixed look of concern and confusion on her face Harry realised that Molly's bustling about and advising her what to wear had alerted Ginny to the fact that something was up but she clearly had no idea what. "What do you want to ask me" he said.

"What caused you to have a restless night and to get up so early?" asked Ginny "It worried me when I went into your room and you weren't there, that's not like you at all"

Giving her a hug to reassure her Harry spoke clearly and softly "I had a restless night because I had something on my mind"

"What was so bad it kept you awake last night?"

"I promise I'll give you an explanation but as part of that explanation I'm going to have to start with another confession I'm afraid"

Ginny's eyes went wide as she started to give him one of her blazing looks he had always admired. As her mouth started to open to say something Harry quickly but gently put a finger to her lips in order stop her.

"I told you we were coming here today to look for some new clothes for me, however I have brought you here under false pretences. We are not here today for clothes, neither are we here for me or even us. We are here today for you and you alone"

While he had been saying this the confused look on Ginny's face had been steadily growing.

"ME? What do you mean we are here for just me and why are you pulling mums scarf out of your pocket"?

Smiling at her confusion, Harry took both of her hands and continued with his explanation.

"Last night I finally realised that all this stuff that has been going on with Charlie is my fault. If I had confronted him the day I found out he was the ring leader I may have been able to put a stop to all of this trouble and prevented that vile insult. I had a restless night last night because I went to bed feeling guilty about how I chose to "let Charlie hang himself" instead of confronting the situation head on"

"Oh, Harry you don't have to feel guilty about that. I don't think any of us thought for one second Charlie would go so far, I was expecting some sort of prank not a vile insult"

"I know that Ginny, but for some reason I can't shake this guilty feeling I've been having about just standing back and waiting for Charlie to act, so I want to make it up to you. So today is your day after a brief shopping trip here we can go anywhere you want for the day and go anywhere you want for lunch" seeing Ginny start to open her mouth to speak again Harry once more put his finger to her lips "And no arguments this is your day you more than deserve it"

Smiling brightly, she gave Harry a hug and a kiss before saying "You know you don't have to do anything for me, don't you? Plus, you still haven't told me what you are doing with mum's scarf?"

"I know I don't have to. I know you don't hold me responsible for what's happened, but I want to do this for you, besides I said no arguments" said Harry smiling "As for your mums scarf, I want to surprise you with a gift at lunch time but it might be easier to buy it with you here, so if you will let me I would like to blindfold you so you don't actually see what I've bought you until we sit down for lunch"

Though clearly a bit nervous Ginny allowed herself to be blindfolded, her excitement winning her over. Having secured the blindfold Harry checked she couldn't see, then putting himself on her right-hand side he put his left arm around her shoulders and took her right hand in his so he could guide her safely to the jewellery store.

Buying a piece of jewellery had been Molly's suggestion, she had explained that most of Ginny's jewellery was either inherited or second hand and she thought Ginny would appreciate something that was new and just hers. Harry though liking Molly's suggestion had to admit he knew nothing about jewellery and had asked her what sort of jewellery he should consider. Molly had suggested a necklace that was plain and simple and not too expensive.

As they walked through Diagon Alley some shoppers gave them smiles, obviously guessing what was going on between the young couple. Harry had been a bit nervous about coming to Diagon Alley. There was a high chance he would be recognised and he didn't want the day interrupted by fans or well-wishers, he was just relieved they were left alone so he didn't have to explain what was going on to anybody. As they entered the jewellery store Harry saw a stool that stood next to counter and guided Ginny to it. The Witch behind the counter gave a bemused smile but kept quiet until Harry had made sure Ginny was sat safely.

Turning to the sales assistant Harry spoke first "Good morning I would like to purchase something that would suit my Girlfriend here"

"Do you have anything in mind sir?" Said the sales assistant.

Not wanting to give too much away to Ginny at this point Harry quickly drew lines around his neck to indicate a necklace. Thankfully the assistant understood and while staying quiet she got out a selection of necklaces for Harry to choose from. Surprisingly quickly Harry saw one that he liked that also fit with Molly's guidelines. The necklace was a consisted of a pear-shaped moonstone set in silver and hanging on a simple yet elegant silver chain. Pointing to it Harry asked if he could pick it up. With the assistant nodding yes, he carefully picked up the necklace in both hands and held it towards Ginny so he could get an idea what she would look like wearing it. As he got closer to Ginny Harry was suddenly startled when the moonstone started to glow. Puzzled he turned to the assistant who was also clearly puzzled but held out a display card that explained the moonstone had a simple charm placed on it that caused it to glow when the wearer was happy. He gave the assistant a questioning look, but she clearly hadn't expected it to glow when it did. Harry brought the necklace towards his own chest and the moonstone glow stopped, holding the necklace back towards Ginny caused the glow to return. It appeared that Ginny's happiness was causing the moonstone charm to activate despite her not actually wearing it.

"Wow" exclaimed Harry

"What is it" exclaimed Ginny "What's the matter"

"Nothing's the matter" said Harry squeezing Ginny's hand "Well take this one, are you able to gift wrap it"?

"That was quick" Exclaimed Ginny "What have you bought me"? She added with a big grin on her face.

Seeing the grin on her face made Harry smile "You'll just have to wait till lunch won't you" teased Harry "speaking of which have you decided where we are going yet"?

"No, I've been somewhat distracted by being blindfolded and led round Diagon Alley by my boyfriend" She laughed

At this point the assistant whose smile had been steadily growing while watching the young couple, caught Harry's attention and pointed to the price on the display card, indicating it was time to pay. Harry quickly counted out the galleons and pocketed the small package. Taking Ginny by the hand he helped her off the stool and guided her back out of the store and down the road back to where they had apparated into Diagon Alley, where he removed the scarf blindfold.

Blinking at first from the bright light, she quickly recovered and jumped on Harry giving him kiss, "So what have you bought me and where is it" she was practically bouncing on the spot.

"I told you" Harry said, while laughing at her excitement "you'll have to wait until lunch, now have you decided where you want to go today?"

Growling with frustration she playfully punched Harry on the arm "oh I don't know you choose somewhere"

"Oh no, I told you this is your day so you choose, wherever you want, whatever you want for lunch"

Growling again she pulled him towards her and linked her arm with his and they started strolling down the street together.

"Well any thoughts" asked Harry

Suddenly stopping Ginny looked up at Harry, "this may seem a bit strange but I want to go to Hogsmeade"

"Hogsmeade? Okay but why?" Harry asked

"Because…" Ginny faltered

"Because?" Harry tried to encourage her

"Because … because we never got to go there on a date when we were dating at Hogwarts, if you have passed your exams you won't be going back to Hogwarts, I know we could arrange to meet up on the Hogsmeade visit days, but it won't be the same"

Smiling Harry took Ginny's hand and took her via side along apparition to Hogsmeade.

After spending a few simple but enjoyable hours together walking around Hogsmeade and its shops, their hunger draw their attention to food.

"Are we staying in Hogsmeade for lunch or travelling somewhere else" asked Harry

Grinning Ginny looked at Harry and said "We are on a date in Hogsmeade we are staying here"

"Okay then we have the traditional place for dating students Madam Puddifoots tea shop or the Three Broomsticks or if you're really desperate the hogs head inn"

Stopping to think a moment Ginny suddenly looked unusually self-conscious, speaking quietly she asked "where did you go with Cho?"

"Madam Puddifoots" said Harry

"I went there with Dean" said Ginny "that settles it were going to the Three Broomsticks" and she promptly dragged Harry down the street.

"Ginny there's no rush" Harry called out.

"Yes there is" cried Ginny "I want my present"

Laughing all the way down the street Harry allowed himself to be dragged through the door of the Three Broomsticks. Seemingly taking no chances Ginny grabbed the first free table she came across, sat Harry down and promptly ordered two meals and two butter beers for themselves, before sitting down with a rather large grin on her face.

"So" said Harry leaning forward "was there a reason for that burst of activity"

His question resulted in a playful punch to the head from Ginny who was clearly enjoying herself by this point.

Smiling Harry pulled Ginny's gift out from his pocket and placed it on the table between them but before he gave it to her, he realised there was something he needed to say to her first "Ginny, before I give you this gift there's something I want to say to you first, because I love you as much as I do I think it's important I say this and at least to try and get the words right"

At this point, Ginny was looking confused, despite this Harry continued

"I planned today as a day for you because I was feeling guilty about not dealing with Charlie differently, ultimately at the end of the day I felt guilty because part of me has felt like I let you down. I know you don't blame me for what happened, I also know your parents don't blame me, but that feeling of guilt wouldn't go away, so I wanted to do something to make amends for it. The thing that worries me now is that it might look like I'm trying to buy my way out of guilt which I'm not. I planned today because it seemed to be the most appropriate thing to do under the circumstances. I know that in the future I'll probably make mistakes, get things wrong and cock things up at times, I also know I'll probably end up feeling guilty at times over situations I have no control over or no need to feel guilty for. I want you to know I'll always try to do what is right for a given situation rather than just take you out and buy you gifts every time"

After a brief pause, Ginny nodded her understanding, she understood how Harry felt, not just about the current situation but about how he dealt with things. He wanted to do what was right but was already aware that he may make mistakes and that he couldn't just buy his way out of problems. She was somewhat surprised however that he was aware of this and if anything loved him more for it.

Receiving the small parcel from Harry she carefully removed the outer layer of wrapping and she was left with a small square box three inches square and half an inch deep, carefully she lifted the top half revealing the moonstone necklace, which was already glowing, breathlessly she paused, "Harry its beautiful".

"Pick it up" was all Harry said at first

Doing as he said the moment she touched the moonstone the brightness of the glow increased slightly, the look on her face was one of surprise. Harry took the chain from her fingers and placed it around her neck so the moonstone pendant sat in the centre of her chest. At which point it glowed brighter than before.

"Harry?!" was all she could manage

Smiling brightly at the woman he loved Harry started to explain.

"The moonstone pendant has a charm placed upon it so it will glow when the wearer is happy, but for some reason it activates when it is simply close to you instead of being worn by you" explained harry "the shop assistant clearly wasn't expecting it to glow when I held it up towards you, so it would appear your happiness is causing the charm to activate from a distance rather than just when you are wearing it."

Pulling Harry closer Ginny kissed him and simply said "Thank you".

When they got home that evening Ginny ran into the house and practically bouncing showed the family the necklace Harry had bought her. While Ginny was showing the necklace to her father and explaining the reasons why, Molly caught Harry's eyes and simply nodded her head while smiling to show she approved of what he had bought her and the happiness it had brought her daughter. The story about how the moonstones charm activating before Ginny was wearing the necklace caused stunned exclamations from the entire family, Harry went to bed that night happy that he had done something for Ginny and had an untroubled night's sleep.

The next morning Ginny inadvertently caused some amusement among the family. She was the last person to rise and come down for breakfast, as she walked into the kitchen she looked at Harry and smiled, but before she went any further she suddenly stopped, clasped her hand to her throat, turned and fled from the kitchen and back upstairs.

Harry who had been watching Ginny walk across the kitchen started laughing, causing the looks of the concern the rest of the family was wearing turn to looks of confusion.

Ginny re-entered the kitchen a couple of minutes later and having sat down next to Harry, saw the laughter in his eyes and the questioning looks on everyone else's.

"What the hell was that all about" asked Ron

Looking embarrassed Ginny explained her sudden departure from the kitchen "When I went to bed last night I didn't want to take my necklace off, so I went to bed wearing it, but it was glowing so brightly I had to take it off as it was keeping me awake. When I saw Harry, I realised I had forgotten to put it back on, so I went back to my bedroom to put it on"

"But that doesn't explain why you had to charge out of the kitchen like it was on fire though" exclaimed Ron

"Well I err… I err … I panicked as I didn't want Harry to think I didn't like his gift by taking it off"

At this confession, the whole family laughed causing Ginny to go red with embarrassment, Harry who had realised what was wrong as she fled the kitchen gave her a hug before passing the toast and jam.


	12. Chapter 12 Making Things Better

Chapter 12 Making Things Better

A couple of days after the trip to the jewellers in Diagon Alley, Harry and Ginny were finishing breakfast in the kitchen when a nervous looking Arthur and Molly entered the kitchen and seemed to hesitate before getting their attention.

"Err Ginny, Harry, do you have a minute" said Arthur somewhat over cautiously

Harry and Ginny shared a confused look before both nodding their heads.

"Charlie has just returned from Shell Cottage asking to speak to you both" said Arthur

"So, that's where he's been hiding is it? What insult has he got planned for today?" said Ginny not even bothering to hide the hatred in her voice.

Harry took Ginny's hand in his and gave it a reassuring squeeze but didn't speak.

"Actually, he says he wants to explain himself and if at all possible attempt to apologise"

Ginny didn't comment but just snorted in response showing her disbelief that Charlie wanted to apologise.

"Gin, so far we have got through this by being the better people, by being more mature, if we refuse to listen to Charlie everyone would understand but it wouldn't make us any better than him. We don't have to believe what he says or accept his apology, but we should at least listen to what he says" said Harry speaking for the first time

Ginny looked at Harry intensely for a moment before nodding her agreement "We will come through when we have finished breakfast"

Arthur and Molly nodded their understanding and left the kitchen and returned to the living room. Once they were gone Ginny turned to Harry.

"Harry I'm not so sure about this" started Ginny "He's had plenty of time to apologise before now, so why hasn't he done so before now?"

"Gin, do you remember the morning of the day we bought your necklace?" Ginny nodded that she did "before you came downstairs me and your mum had been talking for the best part of two hours, while trying her best to convince me I didn't need to feel any guilt about not handling Charlie differently your mum said something that I think explains why Charlie has only just come to apologise"

"and what's that Harry?" asked Ginny

"She thought that if I had confronted Charlie it would have only delayed the inevitable, because she didn't think Charlie had admitted the cause of the problem to himself let alone anyone else. I think it's possible he's only just figured out what his problem is"

Ginny was quiet following Harry's explanation, obviously thinking about what he had said. Taking her hand in his again he gave it another reassuring squeeze, causing Ginny to look up at him.

"As I said before we don't have to accept what he says, but I do think we should listen to him" said Harry

Ginny still had some doubt in her eyes when she said "Just promise me one thing and keep our wands hidden"

"I promise I won't let you near them" said Harry with a smile

As they walked into the living room they found Arthur and Molly sitting in their usual chairs and Charlie sitting on the settee. It was obvious that all three were nervous but it was obvious that Charlie was bordering on being described as a nervous wreck. He couldn't keep still, one moment he would be wringing his hands together, the next he would be running his hands through his hair and he was constantly looking around the room but he didn't seem to be seeing anything.

When he finally realised they were in the room he jumped up with a start, "Ginny, Harry… err … err would you like a seat" stammered Charlie

"No thank you" said Ginny "What have you got to say?"

Before replying Charlie pulled his wand out of his pocket and offered it to Ginny.

"What's this" asked Ginny clearly confused

"I understand you have had your wand confiscated and I don't want to enter into this while seemingly holding the upper ground in any way"

Ginny regarded the offered wand, Charlie had turned the wand around so he was holding the tip and was offering Ginny the handle, so he couldn't perform a spell. She glanced at Harry who gave her a shrug of his shoulders. Deciding to trust in him again she quickly took Charlie's wand from his hand and immediately gave it to Harry. Harry who was a bit surprised at first didn't pocket the wand but folded his arms so it wasn't immediately visible.

Ginny turned to Charlie and said "Were even in this aspect now"

Charlie was clearly surprised at Ginny's action's, he hadn't expected her to give his wand to Harry and stared at first Ginny and then Harry opened mouthed. Ginny didn't respond and stood there with her hands folded across her chest, Harry shrugged before saying "It appears I'm starting a new collection of confiscated wands"

"You confiscated Ginny's wand" exclaimed Charlie

"Yeah what of it?" replied Harry confused "you already know that, Ginny told you, Molly and Arthur the day you insulted her"

"Oh yes, I'd forgotten, I think I had been distracted by her saying I wasn't her brother any more, I have been assuming Mum or Dad had confiscated it… I think I'm just starting to realise how close you two are" said Charlie

"Is that what you wanted to say to us?" interrupted Ginny

"No, I'm sorry I was letting myself get side-tracked. Ginny I want to sincerely apologise for everything I have said and done to you and Harry recently, I'm sorry for the pranks, I'm sorry for the insult, I'm sorry for trying to force you to sleep in Harry's room and I'm sorry I haven't apologised before now. I've regretted everything I've done since I insulted you and I can't believe I made things worse that morning. I'm not suggesting that it would be easy but I'm hoping you can forgive me enough so I can be your brother again" said Charlie

"As much as I am willing to believe that your apology is sincere it still doesn't explain why you came out with that vile insult, the pranks though poorly thought out I can forgive, due to the rules of this house and the over-protectiveness of all of my brothers I can forgive you for trying to make me sleep in a different bed to Harry, despite the fact that due to you we had permission for that night, but until you explain to me why you felt it necessary to imply I am a prostitute I will not forgive you for that insult"

During both of their speeches Harry had been watching Ginny closely, trying to work out what mood she was currently in, but she was proving difficult to read on this occasion. She was stood still but not completely rigid and though she wasn't speaking with any obvious coldness in her voice there wasn't exactly any warmth in it either. Her expression was also completely neutral. Harry was coming to the conclusion that her current outwards appearance was a complete act, when Charlie spoke again.

"I realise this may sound hollow under the circumstances but I swear Ginny I have never consciously considered you a prostitute. Until you asked me whenever I thought you were a gold digger or a prostitute it hadn't really occurred to me that I had implied you were a prostitute. The reason I haven't tried to apologise until now is I've been trying to figure out why I said it. I know you would never be interested in someone for their money Ginny and I know you well enough Harry to know you would never pay for someone's affections" at this point Charlie faltered, Harry suspected that this was because what he was about to admit to was going to be difficult for him. Harry just hoped Ginny had enough patience to let him get through it.

After a minute of silence, it quickly became apparent that Ginny's patience was wearing thin. Harry noticed that her breathing was starting to become heavy and her eyes were also starting to go wide, indicating to him that she was starting to get angry.

"Well I'm waiting, why did you say it? I mean I'm assuming you figured out why you said it or has this all been a waste of time?" snapped Ginny

Harry didn't want Ginny to let her anger get the better of her, quickly putting Charlie's wand in his back pocket he stepped forward and put his left arm around Ginny's shoulders and took her right hand in his. Turning to look at Harry she took a deep breath and visibly relaxed.

"Sorry that was uncalled for, why did you say it" asked Ginny

"I… I … I realised I said it because I'm jealous" stammered Charlie

"Jealous? Jealous of what" asked a confused Ginny

"Not what. Who. I'm Jealous of You and Harry, Bill and Fleur, Ron and Hermione hell even Percy and Penelope" said Charlie

"Your Jealous of us because we are in a relationship and you aren't" asked Ginny

Charlie didn't speak he just nodded his head.

"Wait a minute Charlie" came an angry voice from behind Charlie "you just said you were jealous of Ginny, Bill, Ron and Percy, so why focus on Ginny?!" this sudden outburst had come from Molly

Charlie paused, Harry sensed this was the bit he was most ashamed of and the bit he was fearing the most.

"I'm not sure but I think I focused on Ginny because she has found what I want at such a young age and …" Charlie hesitated before continuing.

"and what?" demanded Molly

"and being sixteen presented an easy target" Charlie finished with his head hanging down and his eyes closed, it was if he was expecting to be slapped again.

Harry who still had his arm around Ginny found himself instinctively pulling her towards himself and holding her tighter. Looking at Ginny, Harry saw that her expression was still unreadable. When Ginny spoke, she was calm but there was no obvious emotion in her words.

"I appreciate you admitting this to us Charlie and I believe you mean it when you say you regret your actions and are sorry, but what you did was so hurtful I'm not sure I'm ready to forgive you yet. I think I need some time to think" turning to look at Harry she said "let's go for a walk"

Harry nodded to Ginny, before following Ginny out of the house he handed Charlie his wand back. Neither of them spoke and without realising it they found themselves walking down the path next to the stream and back at the scenic spot under the tree they had used before. Sitting in the same position as before, Harry wrapped his arms around Ginny and could feel how tense she was. Thankfully the calming atmosphere of their spot had the same effect as before.

"Harry"

"Yes Gin"

"Do you think I'm a fool for wanting to forgive him" asked Ginny

"No I don't, He's your brother and you care about him and want him in your life. I know you told him he wasn't your brother any more but I don't think that deep down you really did disown him. That was something you said because you were understandably angry" replied Harry

Ginny fell silent for a few minutes while she thought about what Harry had said.

"Have you forgiven him for implying you were paying me" asked Ginny

"I haven't been concerned with what Charlie implied about me, only what he said about you. I'll consider the situation dealt with and finished when you are able to forgive him and everyone is able to move on"

Ginny smiled at Harry's comment as he was once again showing his selfless side and thinking of someone else before himself.

"I'm not sure I can forgive him Harry. How can I trust him after something like this, how do I know he won't do it all again? If I can't trust him not to do it again how can I forgive him for doing it this time?"

Harry thought carefully about what to say next before replying.

"Well first of all I don't think he will be doing it again, aside from the fact I believe he has realised the problem that caused all of this, he would be the world's biggest idiot to try something like this again. Not only would he probably be disowned by the entire family but I wouldn't be confiscating your wand a second time"

"Even if it meant I ended up in Azkaban" asked Ginny with a hint of alarm in her voice

"I didn't say I'd abandon you" said Harry quickly "I wouldn't let you go too far, I just wouldn't stop you completely"

"and secondly?" asked Ginny with a sly grin on her face from Harry's comment.

"Secondly I'm afraid trust is always going to be an issue after something like this has happened. It's going to take a while for the trust you had to build back up. The best I can come up with right now is to suggest you set some ground rules that he has to follow. That way you might feel more confident in trusting him"

Leaning backwards Ginny rested her head against Harry's chest before falling silent again, thinking about what Harry had just said.

"What time is it?" Ginny asked after a while.

Looking at the watch Molly and Arthur had given him for his seventeenth birthday Harry saw it was nearly half past eleven.

"Half Eleven" answered Harry

"Let's head back, I think I'm ready to deal with Charlie and we can have lunch afterwards" said Ginny

When they got back to the Burrow they were surprised to find almost the entire family sat in the living room. The only noticeable absence was Percy. Everyone was looking nervous to some degree, but no one was looking more nervous than Charlie. If anything, Charlie was looking around the room at his brothers with annoyance, Harry got the distinct impression that Charlie didn't want them there at that point. Not that Harry could blame him for that, if he was trying to make amends as Charlie was he wouldn't want the whole family watching. Harry was surprised when Charlie was the first to speak.

"Ginny I'm sorry about this, I didn't know everyone else was going to turn up. I have asked them to leave but they are refusing to for some reason" said Charlie

"Yes, there had better be a damn good explanation for this interruption" Said Arthur who clearly wasn't pleased with the arrival of everyone else. Neither was Molly judging by the look on her face. "We have explained now is not a good time but they are refusing to leave"

Ginny slowly looked around the room her displeasure was very apparent "I would have to agree with dad" started Ginny "there had better be a good explanation, as it is I won't hold their interruption against you Charlie" with that a look of relief washed over Charlie's face.

"Have you come to a decision?" asked Charlie

"I have. I believe your remorse is genuine and I want to forgive you Charlie, but the problem I have is how can I trust you after something like this. How do I know you won't do it again? So, if I can't trust you how can I forgive you?"

Harry who was stood at Ginny's side saw a look of wild fear and panic cross over Charlie's face, as he clearly believed she was about to turn him away and refuse to forgive him. Harry however was hopeful Ginny would give him a chance, however he was certain it would be the only chance he got.

"You need to rebuild my trust in you Charlie" continued Ginny "So if I am to forgive you and consider you my brother again I will do so but on my terms only. Is that understood?"

"Yes, anything you want, any terms you set" replied Charlie

"Firstly, from this moment on you will do nothing and say nothing that interferes or questions my relationship with Harry. You will give us your fullest support in any decision we make" demanded Ginny

"I agree no more interference in your relationship with Harry" said Charlie

"I mean it Charlie! If I decide to shag Harry on the kitchen table during breakfast, you will not interfere and you will do nothing more than leave the Kitchen, understood?" said Ginny somewhat fiercely

"Definitely understood" said Charlie quickly.

Harry feeling his face turn red, buried his face in his hands, he didn't have to look around the room to see the smirks that he knew were plastered on most people's faces.

"Secondly, No more pranks on me and Harry. You can prank this bunch of interfering buffoons if you wish" at this Ginny gestured at Ron, Bill, George, Hermione and Fleur with a wave of her hand "But YOU WILL LEAVE me and Harry alone, understood?"

"Understood and agreed, no more pranks on you and Harry" said Charlie

At this Ginny relaxed and her voice became softer and an almost sad look of concern and care became fixed on her face.

"Thirdly, I want you to get a haircut" stated Ginny

"I'm sorry did you say a haircut?" said Charlie clearly confused

"Yes, Charlie a haircut. You look so much smarter with short or at least shorter hair and with all due respect to mum go and get it done at by a proper hairdresser"

"OK but why?"

"Because you stand a better chance of meeting a girl if you look smart" replied Ginny with a smirk on her face.

Harry, found he had to look away, he was struggling not to laugh. Ginny had taken his idea of setting some ground rules and ran with it in a way he had never considered. She was going to make Charlie agree to terms that would probably embarrass him slightly in the short term but hopefully help him in the long term.

"Agreed one professional haircut"

"and if you can afford it buy yourself a new outfit, something that looks smart for when you ask a girl out on a date"

"Anything else?" asked Charlie with a grin of his own as he was beginning to realise what Ginny was up to.

"Yes, I won't force this one on you, but I want you to promise me you will seriously consider a career change" said Ginny

"A career change why?" asked Charlie

"Unless you are lucky enough to meet another dragon trainer, you will stand a greater chance of keeping a girl if you are in a job where you aren't in constant peril. People want to know their partners are safe" explained Ginny

At this point, Bill cautiously raised his hand to show he wanted to speak.

"Sorry to interrupt but isn't that a bit two faced Ginny? I mean you are dating Harry Potter, the one person who a certain dark lord was trying to kill for the better part of eighteen years"

"Maybe a little, but the difference is Harry never wanted the danger, yes, he's had to put himself in harm's way at times, but that was only when he was forced to. All Harry has ever wanted is a normal life. Whereas Charlie chooses to put himself in harm's way every day he goes to work by choosing to work with creatures that can turn you into charcoal from as much as forty feet away"

"That's actually a fair point" said Charlie slowly "I've never considered it from that point of view before"

"So, do you agree with my terms then Charlie?" asked Ginny

"Yes all of them" replied Charlie

"and you understand this is the only chance I am giving you" asked Ginny suddenly serious.

"Yes and I have no intention of throwing it away"

"Good" said Ginny stepping forward and pulling her brother into a hug. The embrace lasted a few minutes and when they separated they both had tears running down their cheeks.

Turning on the others Ginny demanded to know why they were there and was surprised when Ron was pushed forward.

"First of all, let me apologise for Percy's absence, he wanted to be here today but because of how things are at the ministry it wasn't possible. He has promised to call round later today after work" started Ron, Ginny simply nodded her head "Well the thing is although we have already apologised, we all still feel guilty about what has happened, none of us said no or made any attempt to stop it. We have come here today so we can share in any punishment that you hand out to Charlie"

"I appreciate the sentiment but I haven't exactly handed Charlie any punishments" said Ginny grinning

"No, you haven't" said Ron with an evil grin "I think you let him off far too easily, you could have made him agree to do so much more"

"Yeah" spoke up Bill "you could have made him book a table for you and Harry at the most expensive restaurant in London and make him pick up the tab"

"You could have made him buy you a new wardrobe full of clothes" suggested George

"You could av made im buy you some expensive jewellery" added Fleur

"Harry's already done that" said Ron

"Speaking of which look how brightly its shining" added Hermione

"How about tickets to a Harpies match" suggested Ron

This continued for several minutes with every family member shouting out more and more ideas, until Arthur called a stop to the discussion.

"Before you all go overboard and seemingly attempt to bankrupt Charlie why don't the rest of you sit down and discuss your ideas and come up with something sensible that will make things up to Ginny and Harry, in the meantime Molly, myself, Harry and Ginny will prepare some lunch"

As they entered the Kitchen Harry glanced back and saw Charlie with parchment and quill writing down ideas as the others called out to him, looking around the room he caught Ron's eye and they both smiled. Harry was happy to see Ginny's brothers pulling together for her after everything that had happened.

Once in the kitchen Arthur and Molly checked that Ginny and Harry were alright with the way things had turned out, before starting lunch.

The next day the Weasley brothers showed what they were capable of when they tried, they had managed to arrange tickets to the next Harpies match for Harry and Ginny and booked them a table at a restaurant that was run by a wizard in London. These were presented to them by Charlie who had been to a hairdresser's and had his hair cut and bought himself some new clothes.


	13. Chapter 13 Wand Lore and a Visitor

_AN – This chapter contains an extensive discussion about wand lore,_ _I've tried to stay as cannon as possible with the wand lore but to a degree I've had to put my own interpretation on it. This is because something that is revealed in this chapter will become important later on._

 _Another observation of mine while reviewing this chapter before releasing it, I have come to thin_ _k_ _it might have benefited from a slight rewrite and being put earlier in the story, which is something I might do at a later date, but for now its is staying here._

 _Once again thanks to mdauben, Iwik and Guest for your reviews/comments and thanks to all my current followers for sticking with me._ _For those asking the story is getting very close to the present day._

Chapter 13 Wand Lore and an Unexpected Visitor

A few days after Charlie's confession and his apology, Ginny found Harry out in the makeshift quidditch pitch. He was stood with a wand in both hands, when Ginny arrived he had the Draco wand in his left hand and the Phoenix wand in his right hand. Standing back without announcing herself at first, she observed what Harry was doing. He was trying different spells, first with the Phoenix wand and then the Draco wand. He was clearly having more success with the Draco wand. The Phoenix wand was producing results but they were feeble when compared to the Draco wand, which was allowing Harry to perform spells the way he was expecting.

"It's still not working properly? asked Ginny

Harry jumped slightly at the sound of her voice having had no idea she was there.

"No" he said "I don't understand it"

"No ideas at all why it isn't working?"

"The only thing I can think of is the Elder wand wasn't actually able to repair it properly, but then that doesn't make sense, as when I repaired it in the headmaster's office I got the usual feeling of familiarity that you get from your own wand" said Harry

Turning away from Ginny Harry tried a series of different spells with the Phoenix wand, each as feeble as the one before it, with Harry clearly getting increasingly frustrated with the results he was getting. Suddenly without any warning he threw the Phoenix wand away from himself and quickly did the same with the Draco wand. The Phoenix wand hit the floor and rolled finishing up 3 feet from where Harry was stood, the Draco wand hit the floor by its handle and bounced once before landing near Ginny's feet. Without speaking Ginny bent down and picked up the Draco wand before looking over at Harry. He was stood still with his arms raised and his hands in his hair. She hadn't realised how much the Phoenix wand had been getting to him.

Walking over to Harry she put her hand on his shoulder and offered him the Draco wand "Harry I don't know why your wand isn't working for you and this one is, but I do know that throwing both wands away isn't going to achieve anything" she said with a small smile

Harry looked at her and returned the smile "Thank you, I know I shouldn't throw them away, I just want to use my own wand"

"That I can understand" replied Ginny "speaking of which…" Ginny stepped away from Harry and bent down to pick up the Phoenix wand. As she clasped her hand around the handle of the Phoenix wand an intense feeling of warmth and familiarity flooded through her. It was similar to the feeling she got from her own wand, yet different and more intense. The almost overwhelming senses coming from the wand caused her to freeze in shock.

"Gin… Gin what's wrong?" asked Harry with rising concern

Coming back to her senses Ginny stood up, but didn't immediately reply to Harry. The feelings she had felt from the Phoenix wand could only mean one thing. She was the master of Harry's Phoenix wand, but it made no sense, she had not defeated Harry. She was also worried about how Harry would react to this revelation.

"Err Harry" was all she could manage at first

"Gin, are you OK? What happened?" asked Harry

"I'm fine, but I err… when I picked up… err when I picked up your… wand…" said Ginny trailing off.

"Gin what happened?" asked Harry

"When I picked up your wand I got the familiar feeling you get from a wand you own"

Harry didn't respond at first and they stood there in silence for several minutes.

"That would mean you are the wands master and not me" said Harry looking confused "but that makes no sense as you have never defeated me"

"I know, I don't understand it" who was even more confused than Harry and was holding the Phoenix wand out to him.

"Try it" said Harry

"What?! No! It's your wand not mine"

"It's OK Ginny, we need to know what has happened for certain before we can attempt to figure out what to do next"

With a look of confusion and nervousness on her face Ginny turned from Harry. Taking a quick look around the family's quidditch pitch she saw a fallen branch near the centre of the pitch and decided to do a simple summoning charm.

"Accio Branch" said Ginny pointing the Phoenix wand at the Branch

The fallen branch flew towards them out of control tumbling through the air and travelling at a speed neither of them were expecting, causing both of them to have to dive to the floor as the branch flew over their heads. Standing up, Ginny forced the wand into Harry's hand and took several steps backwards away from Harry and the wand. Looking across at Ginny, Harry saw that what had happened had not only confused her but had scared her to some degree as well. Quickly putting both wands in his back pocket so they were out of sight he stepped over to Ginny and pulled her into a hug.

"Harry how has this happened" asked Ginny "how have I become the master of your wand and why is it so much more powerful? I have never defeated you so I can't have won it from you"

"I don't know Gin but I think it's a safe bet that it has something to do with me using the elder wand to repair it"

"I'm sorry Harry" said Ginny looking up at Harry

"What are you apologising for? This is not your fault. If I had accepted that my wand was broken and stuck with Draco's wand or bought myself a new wand we wouldn't be stood here right now" said Harry

"Harry, what about Ollivander? Surely he should have an understanding of wand lore that could help to explain this" said Ginny

"Hmm maybe, but having spoken to Ollivander on a couple of occasions I would rather use him as a last resort"

"What do you mean" asked Ginny

"My issue with Ollivander is although he isn't necessarily evil himself, he is clearly in awe of power and those who are able to wield it. He once described what Voldemort was capable of as "Great, Terrible but Great". My biggest concern is I have no idea what he would do if he knew I was the elder wands master" explained Harry

"Oh" said Ginny "I've only met him the once and he didn't come across like that at all"

"I suspect, I only got to see that side of him due to circumstances. The first time I met him was when I bought my wand and he explained about it being twinned with Voldemort's. That was when he said what Voldemort did was great. The second time was when we rescued him from Malfoy manor. Despite having been tortured it was clear he was still in awe of what Voldemort could do"

"Can you think of anyone else who might be able to help"

The only person I can think of who had the required knowledge and would be trustable is Dumbledore and he's dead" replied Harry

They were both silent for a few moments while they thought about the situation.

"Harry doesn't Dumbledore have a portrait in the Headmasters office now?" asked Ginny "Couldn't we try asking his portrait?"

"Oh, for Merlin's sake why didn't I think of that" said Harry

"Probably because you had become fixated with trying to force the wand to work rather think your way through the problem" replied Ginny with a smile "why don't we go home and write to McGonagall and ask if we can visit the headmaster's portrait"

Once home they wrote a letter to Professor McGonagall asking if they could speak to Dumbledore's portrait and sent the letter off with Ron's Owl Pig. As they were heading back downstairs the house was filled a noise that sounded like an air raid siren going off.

"What the hell is that" shouted Harry over the noise

"It's a Caterwauling charm" shouted Ginny in response while pulling out her wand "It means someone who doesn't have permission has tried to enter through the wards protecting the house"

Not needing any further encouragement Harry pulled out his Draco wand and followed Ginny downstairs and into the kitchen where they found Molly, Ron and Hermione. As they entered the Kitchen Molly finished a spell to stop the Caterwauling charm. Turning to Harry and Ginny she spoke to them "You two stay here Arthur and George are outside looking for the intruder, chances are it's a reporter looking to speak to Harry, so they will send them packing"

They were all surprised when a few minutes later when Arthur and George returned with a third person. Arthur had his wand drawn but had it pointed at the floor, George however was clearly seething with anger and had his wand trained firmly at their unexpected guest. One look at their guest caused Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny to jump up and raise their wands.

"What the hell is he doing here?" yelled Ron with anger

"I asked the same question" said George with a fierce calm

"Arthur! have you completely lost your senses?!" exclaimed Molly

"Calm down everyone" said Arthur calmly "He's here to deliver a message to Harry. If Harry doesn't want to listen then we throw him back out, He has given me these as a peace offering" Arthur reached into his pocket and pulled out two wands and offered them to Ron and Hermione.

Ginny turned to look at Harry "Harry you can't be seriously considering listening to this piece of filth, you can't trust him. He should be locked up in Azkaban. Just tell him to piss off so we can get back to our own lives"

"Language Ginny" Molly cried automatically, though it wasn't with her usual strength.

Whilst lowering his wand, Harry put his spare hand on Ginny's wrist and pushed it down, so she lowered her wand as well. "As he has returned Ron and Hermione's wands I'll hear him out. I don't have to actually act on what he says. Though you do have a point Ginny, He should be in Azkaban, I'm assuming Draco, that the family riches have managed to save you from being locked up?"

Draco Malfoy stood in the Burrows kitchen, surrounded by people who considered him an enemy. Despite this he still stood upright with his head held high, though his usual sneer was missing. Looking closely at Draco, Harry saw that his cheeks had slightly sunken appearance to them and his usual pristine appearance wasn't there as if he had worn his clothes more than he was accustomed to.

"Actually, no they didn't. All of the Family's accounts have been frozen until the ministry can decide how much of it was made illegally" replied Draco.

Harry noticed the usual confidence and cockiness was missing from his demeaner. "So how is it your still walking free and able to disturb our peaceful afternoon?" asked Harry

"Not entirely sure to be honest with you. I think it may have been my father's testimony that did it. He turned traitor on the death eaters and gave the ministry any information they asked for, last thing he said to me was he would tell the ministry I was forced to become a death eater at his wishes. Either way he got a life sentence in Azkaban, my mother is under house arrest thanks to your statement but refused visitors without prior permission from the minister of magic and I'm free to try and scrape a living by selling family heirlooms for whatever I can get for them as no one will give me a job"

"You expect us to feel sorry for you" snapped Hermione who had swapped to her own wand having been stuck with Belatrix's wand for so long.

"No" was all Draco said in response

There was a moment of tense silence which was broken by George,

"What. Was. Your. Message?" said George in short crisp tones, that were out of character for the usual fun loving person.

"I…" Draco faltered as he looked behind him, George still had his wand raised and aimed at Draco but it was shaking badly.

"George?!" said Harry cautiously

"Dumbledore is dead because of him! Hermione was tortured because of his family! You all nearly died in the room of requirement because of him and his cronies! If it wasn't for him and his family FRED might still be …."

At the cry of Fred, Harry lunged forward grabbing George's right wrist with his left hand and forced it down whilst grabbing George with his right hand and using his weight to force him backwards. Whatever spell George had cast ricocheted of a hastily set shield charm that Ginny had used causing it to hit the ceiling.

Thankfully Arthur was the first to respond, leaping forward he grabbed George, pinning both of his arms to his sides and dragged him out of the kitchen. For a few seconds the only sound was of a wooden stick settling on the hard floor. Breathing heavily Harry looked down and saw George's Wand on the floor which he picked up and handed to Molly.

As everyone was recovering their breath, Harry looked around the room and everyone had their wands pointed at Draco once again. Draco however had only moved in order to dodge the incoming spell from George. Though he was standing with his head raised again, it was clear to Harry that Draco was clearly shaken.

"Lower your wands" ordered Harry "I don't think they are needed"

Harry paused to make sure everyone had lowered their wands before continuing.

"Sorry about that, George took Fred's death very hard"

"No need to apologise, If I'm honest I never expected to get this far without being hexed, I don't blame him, his reaction is understandable" replied Draco

Harry stared at him with disbelief, he couldn't believe this was the same Draco Malfoy that he had gone to Hogwarts with.

"What is your message Draco? I think it might be best if we end your visit sooner rather than later"

"I would have to agree. I came to give you a warning. No respectable business wants to buy the family heirlooms I've been selling, as a result I've been forced to use Knockturn Alley to do most of my selling. Unfortunate for me, but fortunate for you, some of the people who trade in Knockturn Alley think this means I'm picking up where my Father left off and have been letting bits of information slip. There's a rumour going around Knockturn Alley that someone is planning a kidnapping that involves you and possibly your girlfriend" Draco finished by looking at Ginny.

"Is that all?" snapped Hermione "Not much use is it!"

"It's better than nothing" replied Harry "Is that all you have?"

"Yes, it's all I've been able to get so far" replied Draco

"Then why bother coming at all?" asked Ron "You could have passed this on through the ministry without insulting us with your presence"

"I have been for several weeks, but I wanted to know for certain that my warnings were being passed on and I'd say it's blatantly obvious that they didn't believe me"

"Why do you care so much about Harry?" asked Hermione

At this Draco faltered, what was left of his composure seemed to leave him, his shoulders sagged and his head dropped for the first time leaving him looking at the floor for the first time.

"Is it because you owe us all a life debt?" Asked Harry

"Partly" replied Draco

"What do you mean Partly?" asked Ginny hotly

"I'm not going to lie, I don't like being in anyone's debt" replied Draco "Life, Money or otherwise, if coming here and speaking to you can help erase that debt then I'm willing to do it"

"And what other reason do you have for warning Harry?" asked Ginny

"You probably won't believe me but because it is the right thing to do" replied Draco

"Your right I don't believe you" replied Ginny

"Anything else?" asked Harry

"I had been wondering if you would be willing to return me my wand, but as I see you are still using it I doubt that is going to happen" said Draco

"Draco even if I was inclined to give you your wand back it wouldn't do you any good" replied Harry

"What do you mean?"

"You know the expression the wand chooses the wizard?" asked Harry

Draco nodded his understanding.

"Well in this case your wand chose me. When I defeated you in Malfoy manor your wand changed its allegiance and made me its master" explained Harry

"Is that even possible?" asked Draco astounded

"Yes, it is. It happens more often than you might think"

Draco stood there at first looking confused, "Oh, in that case you might as well keep it. Mother isn't allowed to possess a wand at the moment so I might as well continue using hers for the time being. Am I OK seeing myself out or do you want to escort me?"

"Molly would you mind taking Draco to the edge of the wards please?" asked Harry

Nodding her assent Molly gestured towards the kitchen door and followed Draco outside. Before Harry had a chance to gather his thoughts he was hit with questions from Ron and Hermione.

"Why are you are still using his wand?" asked Hermione

"Where's your wand?" demanded Ron "I wouldn't be using that git's wand unless I absolutely had to"

"More importantly what did you mean by wands change allegiance more than you realise" asked Hermione getting to the point in her usual quick style.

Harry found himself looking towards Ginny for support. She stood back from Ron and Hermione and clearly shook her head. Harry understood why she said no, she didn't want to reveal she was the master of the Phoenix wand.

Harry took a moment to consider his options, he didn't want to lie to Ron and Hermione, but he didn't want to upset Ginny either.

"Gin I'm sorry but I can't outright lie to these two, after everything we went through together I can't lie to them. I know we haven't admitted anything to them so far, but I've gone as far as I can. I'm sorry, but please…"

Ginny looked at Harry with the beginnings of tears in her eyes and blinked slowly before nodding her head.

"Thank you" said Harry with his eyes locked firmly on Ginny, before finally turning to Ron and Hermione "I am using the git's wand because it is the only wand I am currently the master of. I am no longer the master of my wand. It has switched it allegiance to someone else"

"Who" asked Hermione

Harry looked up at Ginny before answering "Ginny"

"Ginny!" exclaimed Ron and Hermione together.

"How has that happened?" asked Hermione "I thought you had to defeat the previous owner?"

"So did I" replied Harry while moving over to Ginny who hadn't moved and putting his arm around her.

"You haven't had some sort of argument we don't know about?" asked Ron with an almost hopeful tone to his voice.

"No, we haven't!" snapped Ginny finally speaking "we are very happy thank you very much and why do you sound so hopeful?"

Raising his hands in a gesture of submission Ron replied to Ginny's question "Whoa calm down Ginny, I'm happy that you two are happy together. I was only hopeful because if you had had an argument it might give us a simple explanation as to why Harry's wand had switched its allegiance to you"

"Oh, sorry" said Ginny quietly

"What are you going to do about it?" asked Hermione

"We have written to Professor McGonagall and asked if we can consult Dumbledore's painting, in the hope he might be able to explain why this has happened. If that doesn't work I don't know what we will do"

A couple of days later the four of them found themselves stood in the headmaster's office. Or rather the headmistress's office Harry corrected himself.

"It is good to see you all again" said Professor McGonagall "Though when you wrote to me I was only expecting the two of you" she finished a tad reproachfully.

"I'm sorry about that professor, when I wrote to you only myself and Ginny were aware of a problem we have, since then Ron and Hermione have become aware and I thought they might as well come along as they may be able to help in some way" explained Harry

"Fair enough, now I understand you wish to speak to Professor Dumbledore's painting?"

"Yes, the professor is the only person we could think of who could possibly help with this current problem who I would trust with this problem"

"Implying there may be people who could help with your problem but you don't trust them, would you like me to step outside?" asked Professor McGonagall.

Before Harry could respond a voice spoke up from behind Professor McGonagall "I don't think that should be necessary Minerva, do you Harry?"

Looking up at the portrait behind the Headmistresses desk Harry saw the familiar face of Professor Dumbledore smiling down at him.

"Not at all Professor" replied Harry returning the smile

"It is good to see you all, now what can I do for you Harry, what is so important that it is taking your time away from Miss Weasley?"

Harry looked at Ginny and saw her blush at the Professor's words.

"I need your knowledge of wand lore professor, I'm hoping you can help explain something that has happened" Harry pulled out his Phoenix wand out of his pocket "My wand has switched it loyalties. I am no longer its master. It has chosen Ginny as its master and we can't explain why"

"Surely there must be a mistake?" asked Professor McGonagall

"There's no mistake Professor. I can use the wand but the spells don't have the effect they used to, but when Ginny uses it the spells are very powerful"

Professor Dumbledore stood still in his painting for a moment seemingly deep in thought "I take it I don't need to ask the more obvious question, the two of you are both happy together and have not had any fights or arguments?"

"No Professor we haven't had any fights or arguments and are very happy together" replied Harry

"Hmm you used the Elder wand to repair it…." Dumbledore said this seemingly to himself as he paced back and forth within his painting "…. Ginny snapped the elder wand …. puts its magic into Harry's wand…"

Harry stood holding hands with Ginny, watching the Professor pace back and forth, waiting for his answer, finally Dumbledore turned back to them.

"Now Harry just we are clear I do not claim to be an expert in wand lore and it is also possible that my intelligence has been diminished by being a painting"

"Understood Professor" replied Harry

"That said I do think I have an explanation as to why you wand is behaving the way it is and a possible explanation why it has switched loyalties to Miss Weasley" said Dumbledore "I think the most likely explanation for your wand behaving the way it is, is because you used the Elder wand to repair it. Your phoenix wand was so damaged I suspect the elder wand was forced to put some of its own magic into your wand to repair it. So when Miss Weasley snapped the Elder wand the Elder wand magic in your phoenix wand caused it to replace the elder wand"

"oh" said Harry quietly. He was beginning to have an horrific premonition about what Dumbledore was about to say.

"The best explanation I can come up with that explains why your wand switched loyalties is that having caused your phoenix wand to replace the elder wand, the elder wand magic caused it to perceive you as having being defeated when the elder wand was snapped in two"

Before Harry could gather his thoughts, Ginny spoke up.

"Professor how can a wand perceive anything? It is a wand not a person" asked Ginny

"Unfortunately Miss Weasley wand lore has never been fully investigated and we are left using human expressions to explain the behaviour of a seemingly unintelligent inanimate object, furthermore we are also left having to make logical assumptions while using the few known facts about wand lore as a base"

"Could you explain in more detail please" asked Ginny

"Of course, It is a known fact that "the wand chooses the wizard" a wizard can use any wand but will get the best results from a wand that has chosen them. It is also known that a wand can switch its loyalties and that it will typically switch loyalty when its owner has been defeated. However it isn't known why some wands will switch loyalties and some don't. Now speaking from personal experience, I can confirm the Elder wand was very susceptible to switching loyalties after defeat. A fact demonstrated by how Harry became the Elder wands master without ever possessing it. Now from this point we have to work with logic and assumptions. The behaviour of Harry's wand does not make sense unless you accept that it being repaired by the Elder wand changed it somehow, which is why I suggest that the elder wand put some of its own magic into the phoenix wand. If the Phoenix wand contains some of the elder wands magic then it is logical to assume that it would share the Elder wands susceptibility to switch masters after defeat"

"But I haven't defeated Harry!" exclaimed Ginny

"Not in the normal human definition of defeat you haven't, but don't forget we are talking about wand lore and furthermore a unique branch of wand lore. When you took the elder wand from Harry he allowed you to disarm him, disarming someone is an action that some wands have interpreted as defeat, in addition you snapped the Elder wand, with the phoenix wand containing some of the elder wand magic I believe it has also interpreted the snapping of the elder wand as a form of defeat"

"Oh" was all Ginny said in response

"But as I said this is mostly assumptions and logical guess work, so I could very well be proven wrong"

"But you don't believe you are in this case?" asked Ginny

"No I don't I'm afraid" answered Dumbledore

"What can we do to correct this" asked Ginny

Before Dumbledore could respond Harry stepped forward and answered himself.

"We don't do anything" said Harry firmly

Everyone except Dumbledore looked at Harry in shock and surprise.

"Harry what do you mean we do nothing, its your wand not mine, we need to get its loyalty switched back" said Ginny

"Gin, we are only stood here because I refused to accept that my wand was broken. I knew that the Elder wand was temperamental before I used it to repair the Phoenix wand. I should have realised something might go wrong. We are stood here because of something I've done"

"But we can't just give up, don't you want your wand!"

"I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't prefer it, but the only known way of causing a wand to switch loyalties is by defeating the owner. Which leaves us with a problem because somehow, I doubt it would work if you let me defeat you. So, the only way it could possibly work would be if I secretly kept a look out for a moment for when I could defeat you and I refuse to do that. You mean more than that to me, more than any wand. I wont put our relationship at risk. Its time I accept that my wand is gone"

"Well said Mr Potter" said Professor McGonagall "A very mature approach to this situation"

"I agree Minerva, now is there anything else I can help you with" asked Dumbledore

"No Professor and thank you. I think we will say hello to Hagrid and head home"

Stepping off the stairs and into the hallway Harry realised Ginny hadn't spoken for a while. Looking over at her Harry saw she had an odd look on her face.

"Gin, are you alright?" asked Harry

"I err why did you do that Harry? Why did you give up on your wand?" stammered Ginny

"Because he has realised what is more important Ginny" said Hermione speaking up "Harry has realised his relationship with you is more important to him than a wand"

"Come on sis weren't you listening upstairs?" added Ron "as much as he would like his wand back, Harry would rather protect his relationship with you, YOU are more important to him"

"They're right Gin, I meant what I said upstairs, you are more important to me than any wand"

Slowly, Ginny started to smile "But what do we do with your wand?" she asked quietly.

Taking the Phoenix wand out of his pocket, harry offered it to Ginny "As you are the wands master that is up to you. You could keep it and use it, keep it as a spare in case something happens to yours or snap it" replied Harry.

"SNAP IT" cried Ron, Hermione and Ginny in unison

Lowering his voice to ensure he wasn't overheard "If we accept that Dumbledore is correct and that the Elder wand put some of its magic into the Phoenix wand then keeping it will carry the same risks as keeping the Elder wand. Ginny snapped the Elder wand because of that risk, so it only makes sense to snap the Phoenix wand"

"Harry I won't snap your wand" said Ginny

"It's not my wand Ginny" said Harry "As I said, you are its master, it's your wand so it's your choice"

Ginny looked at Harry and at the Phoenix wand he was still offering her. Slowly reaching out she took the Phoenix wand from Harry and contemplated the wand in her hand. The sense of familiar power still scared her and her initial panic created an impulse within her to just snap the wand. But something stopped her from acting on that impulse, she couldn't bring herself to just snap the wand like she had the Elder wand. She knew she was being irrational, the Elder wand had been something impersonal that Harry had said he didn't want to keep, but this was Harry's wand, something he wanted, yet she didn't want to keep the Phoenix wand or allow it to be kept near Harry.

Turning to the most sensible person she knew she offered the wand to Hermione. "I know in many ways I'm being irrational and I should just snap it, but I can't do it. So, I want you to keep it for us"

"Gin?" said Harry looking confused

"Harry I recently let you protect me from myself by confiscating my wand, I intend to do the same for you, I know if was to be sensible I would just snap the wand, but right now I can't do it, so in the same way you protected me, I intend to protect you. You are willing to give up on this wand to protect our relationship so It wouldn't be right if I was keep it and use it, neither would it be right for me to keep it as a spare wand, because it would always be there as a constant reminder for you. So, by handing it to Hermione and asking her to keep it from either of us until a situation requires it seems the fairest option" Seeing Harry smile and nod his head in approval Ginny turned back to Hermione "Hide this somewhere only you know about, don't tell anyone where it is particularly me and Harry. If either of us ask for it, it will be up to you to decide if the situation warrant's it"


	14. Chapter 14 Missed Something?

**Chapter 14** **Missed Something?**

Thinking back Harry remembered how Hermione had agreed to keep the Phoenix wand for them, yet she still looked apprehensive when she took possession of the wand from Ginny.

They had finished the day having tea with Hagrid before heading home, when they got back to the Burrow, Hermione had disappeared for a while, when she returned she had said nothing about where she had been, Harry had always assumed she had gone to hide the Phoenix wand.

That moment in time was the one moment that he had felt the loss of the Phoenix wand more than any other time. The realisation that the wand wasn't his and he had given up on getting it back had hit him hard, along with the realisation that Hermione would be true to her word and keep it hidden. Thankfully one look at Ginny had been all he needed to strengthen his resolve. He had sworn to himself to never go looking for the wand.

Getting up to stretch his legs Harry found himself at the foot of the stairs. Looking up he was reminded that he still hadn't decorated above the ground level of Grimmauld Place. When he had moved in he had quickly cleaned and decorated the minimum he needed to live there, but had quickly lost the desire to carry on after that.

Pacing back and forth in the hallway he found himself obsessing over Ginny's last letter to him. He felt like he was missing something, something obvious and he kept coming back to that last letter. Dotty...Dotty...Absolutely Dotty. For some reason these words were sending alarm bells ringing in his head more than anything else.

"AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH" screamed Harry tilting his head back and pulling at his hair.

As Harry finished screaming there was a pop next to him as Kreacher appeared next to him.

"Master Harry, Master Harry what's wrong, where are you hurt?" asked Kreacher with obvious concern.

"It's alright Kreacher, I'm not hurt, I'm just screaming in frustration" replied Harry "I feel like I've missed something important, but I can't be sure if I have actually missed something or if I just want to have missed something"

Seeing the confused look on Kreacher's face, Harry stopped to explain himself differently "I've been obsessing over Ginny again and trying to figure out what happened"

"Why would you want to have missed something master?" asked Kreacher

"Because if I have missed something there is a possibility, I can fix this situation and me and Ginny could be together again"

"Is there anything I can do to help master" asked Kreacher

"I don't think so Kreacher, why don't you take a break from cleaning and start preparing some dinner"

"Certainly master" said Kreacher before bowing and walking towards the kitchen

Walking back towards the living room Harry found himself going back to Ginny's last letter again Dotty...Dotty...Dots...Dots feeling like he was on the edge of something he forced himself to calmly sit down at his desk where he kept Ginny's letters. Putting them back in date order he started with the first one he had received.

He had often wondered how far back he needed to go to try and figure out what when wrong. He couldn't believe Ginny had just woken up one morning and decided she'd had enough. The first signs of there possibly being a problem appeared the week their Hogwarts letters had arrived.


	15. Chptr 15 Letters, Nightmares and Mirrors

**Chapter 15** **Letter's, Nightmares and Mirrors**

Having come up with a solution for dealing with the Phoenix wand, life at the Burrow returned to normal, Mrs Weasley seemed content to let the younger family members to have a relaxed summer, as long they helped with task's and chores when asked.

Their letters from Hogwarts arrived during breakfast one day and noticeably earlier than expected. This was explained in the letters themselves, due to the increased intake that year caused by the returning seventh years and the fact Diagon Alley hadn't fully reopened, the school had decided to give people extra time to get the things they needed.

Harry's, Ron's and Hermione's letters also contained an extra note from Professor McGonagall. As they had been unable to attend the previous year, the school had made special arrangements so they could travel to Hogwarts on the Hogwarts express, as well as being invited to attend the sorting ceremony and feast. The school's teachers and governors thought they might appreciate the opportunity to do some of the things most final year students took for granted. The note also went on to explain that as returning seventh years they would not be required to wear the school uniform as long as they were respectably dressed. Ginny for one seemed put out by that last point.

"No uniform that's hardly fair!" exclaimed Ginny

"Seems fair to me" said Ron typically with his mouth full at the time "Nine months living in a tent trying to save the world, only to finish the job and have to go back to school"

Ginny didn't respond to Ron's comment and just turned back to her breakfast without opening her own letter. Harry found himself watching Ginny without trying to let her realise he was observing her. Apart from accepting the letter from her mum before putting it to one side, Ginny hadn't actually touched the Hogwarts letter. Looking at the letter sat on the table beside Ginny, Harry noticed that it appeared to bulge in one spot, as if something extra was in the envelope, rather than just a letter. Knowing Mrs Weasley it was only a matter of moments before she picked up on the fact that Ginny hadn't opened her own letter, so far, she had been fussing over Ron, Hermione and Harry's letters. Something was telling Harry that Ginny didn't want to open her own letter, but he couldn't determine what it might be. Realising that Molly wouldn't let Ginny leave her letter unopened, Harry reasoned it would be better if Ginny opened it herself before Molly intervened. Using the bulge in the envelope as inspiration and hoping he was at least right to some degree he turned to Ron and Hermione.

"I wonder who the Quidditch team captains will be?" asked Harry "I hope they have picked someone good for the Gryffindor's"

Looking up from her breakfast Ginny turned to Harry "What are you talking about? You are the team captain"

"Not any more. The personal note from Professor McGonagall may have held all of the good news, unfortunately the main official letter contained the bad news, returning seventh years aren't permitted to play in any of the school teams"

"Who was the captain last year" asked Hermione

"There wasn't one" said Ginny quietly "All extra-curricular activities were banned"

Turning back to Ron and Hermione, Harry asked "Do you two have any thoughts on who might be captain for Gryffindor?"

"Well as a returning seventh year I'm out" said Ron "So that that would leave Demelza Robbins, Jimmy Peakes and Ritchie Coote from your last team" said Ron before he jerked sideways having been kicked under the table by both Harry and Hermione.

"OWW for Merlin's sake what was that for" cried Ron

"I fear you may have forgotten someone" said Molly as she walked past Ron adding a clip to his ear.

"I haven't forgot…oh my god Ginny!" exclaimed Ron

"Took you long enough" muttered Hermione

"Do you know who my betting money would be on?" asked Harry hurriedly hoping to get the conversation back on track.

"Who would that be Harry" asked Molly, who Harry suspected had picked up on what he was striving for.

"None other than our Ginny here"

"Don't be stupid Harry why would they choose me" asked Ginny

"Apart from the fact you are by far the most talented and by far the most experienced" replied Harry

"Harry, I know for a fact that I haven't been chosen as team captain"

"And how do you know that? You haven't opened your letter yet, for all you know the captain's badge is sat in that envelope" said Harry who hoped he hadn't pushed her too far by pointing out she hadn't opened her letter.

"I haven't got the captain position!" exclaimed Ginny

"Care to place a small bet on it" asked Harry

"What sort of bet?" asked Ginny

"Loser takes the Winner out for dinner. Loser's choice of where we go. If there is a captain's badge in that envelope I win, no captains badge you win"

"Alright fine" stated Ginny "But you better be prepared to take me somewhere nice"

Grabbing the envelope from the table Ginny quickly tore one end of the envelope off and poured the contents onto the table. A soft thump of the parchment letter hitting the table sounded, followed by the tinkling of not one but two badges hitting the table and bouncing. Harry managed to put his hand over one of the badges, while Hermione put her hand over the second and Ron managed to put his hand on the letter.

"I'll play fair" said Harry quickly "we made a bet on one badge being in the envelope not two, do you want to cancel the bet?"

"I'm not backing out" said Ginny with some uncertainty in her voice "the bet was for the Quidditch captaincy, just because two badges fell out doesn't mean I've got the captain's position"

"Ginny dear I do believe you are clutching at straws" said Molly

"I made the bet. I'm not backing out" said Ginny defiantly

"OK" said Harry "Who is lifting their hand first me or Hermione?"

"You"

Lifting his hand Harry revealed a badge that was red in colour embossed in gold, the writing in the centre read "Head Girl"

"Are you still refusing to back out?" asked Harry

"Yes, lift your hand Hermione" said Ginny

Hermione lifted her hand from the badge it was hiding, at first it was facing Hermione who using finger and thumb turned it so Harry and Ginny could see the badge. Sat in front of them was a silver badge embossed with red and read captain on the front of the badge.

"There has to be some mistake" said Ginny

"Ron would you check the letter please" asked Harry

Ron picked up the letter his hand had been covering and unfolded it, before starting to read it out loud to the others.

"Dear Miss Weasley, I am proud to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry for your seventh and final year of schooling. I am delighted to inform you that you have been awarded the position of Head Girl for your final year, a role which we believe you will enter into with a degree of confidence and dedication. Also, you have been chosen to Captain the Gryffindor Quidditch team, an additional role you will fill with ease. If you feel you require any support or advise, on how to deal with both roles please speak to me at any point convenient to yourself. Your course list and required book list is supplied on an additional sheet. Yours Headmistress Professor McGonagall"

As he finished reading Ron offered the letter to Ginny who reread the letter in silence.

"So where do you want to go for dinner" asked Ginny quietly

"I said loser's choice, so you tell me when and where we are going" said Harry smiling.

"Well a Head Girl in the family and a second captain, NO! third captain, I forgot to include you Harry, Sorry dear"

"It's alright Molly"

"No, it's not! You'll always be part of this family Harry"

Harry didn't know how to respond and simply smiled back at Mrs Weasley.

A quick glance at Ginny showed she hadn't really moved since the letter had been read out.

"Well Ginny what would you like?" asked Molly

"Like what?" asked a confused Ginny

"Well Percy had an owl, Ron had a new broom, what would you like? Asked Mrs Weasley.

"I…I…I…" stammered Ginny

"Gin why don't you go for a shower" suggested Harry "Ron why don't you take Hermione out for a long walk and Molly I'll do the washing up this morning"

Ginny left the kitchen so quickly you could have believed she had apparated, Ron and Hermione left quickly but only after Ron had been elbowed by Hermione.

"Why do I feel like you are trying to get everyone out of my kitchen?" asked Molly

"Sorry Molly, but aside from being obviously overwhelmed I got the feeling something was wrong with Ginny. I wanted to give her a chance to compose herself" replied while gathering the breakfast plates and heading to the sink.

"You picked up that she didn't open her letter straight away as well, I'll make myself scarce for a bit, you might stand a better chance of getting something out of her"

Harry was in the process of putting the plates away when Ginny came back downstairs, looking calmer than she did before.

"Where is everyone" asked Ginny

Turning from the cupboard to look at her "Everyone has gone out, we are the only one's home at the moment, tea?"

"Yes Thanks"

Sitting down they took seats opposite each other on either side of the kitchen table.

"Gin what's wrong? I thought you would have been excited to be going back to Hogwarts or at least excited to be Quidditch captain"

"Nothing's wrong Harry" said Ginny unconvincingly

"Yeah and I'm the Easter Bunny"

"Excuse me?" asked Ginny looking baffled

"Sorry it's a muggle expression, in this context it means I don't believe you"

"I..I'm...I don't want to go back. Well I do and I don't. I want to finish my education and see my friends again and I'm sure when it sinks in I'll be looking forward to being captain" said Ginny with a small smile "not so sure about the head girl position though"

"Is it because of the battle and Fred?" asked Harry

"That's part of it but not all of it" Replied Ginny "there's what happened last year at school while you were away and then there's us"

"After everything that happened you don't want us to be separated for most of the year" Ginny nodded while looking at the table "Well as frustrating as it might be I don't think that is something we need worry about, there are holidays, Hogsmeade visits and don't forget I'll be there twice a week and needing a potions partner"

At that Ginny smiled "You know potions isn't exactly my strongest subject"

Returning her smile Harry said "It isn't mine either" starting to feel like they were edging towards the main cause of Ginny's reluctance to go back to school, Harry asked "Gin, what happened at school last year? I remember Neville mentioned something about practising the Cruciatus curse on people in detention"

"It was horrible" said Ginny quietly "The Carrow's used any excuse they could to punish someone and Snape did nothing to stop them, nothing to control them. The other teachers did what they could to protect the students, but they couldn't do much, they were scared just as much as the students and if they got caught helping the students they would have been punished and sacked, then there would have been one teacher less to protect the students"

"How did they end up using students to practice the Cruciatus curse?" asked Harry

"Defence against the dark arts became dark arts. You were expected to learn the unforgivable curses, if you refused you were given detention and served it by being used as practice for everyone else"

Harry noticed that Ginny's hands had started to shake, moving round the table he sat next to her and took her hands in his "How many times Gin? How many times were you used for practice?"

Ginny looked at Harry clearly surprised "How did you know?"

"I didn't, but I know you. I know you well enough to know you would never agree to that, even if it meant suffering yourself"

"I lost count" whispered Ginny

Harry found himself filling with anger, but oddly it wasn't directed at the Carrow's, Voldemort or even Snape. He found himself getting increasingly angry at himself. He felt like he had failed Ginny, he had broken up with her to protect her, but he felt like he had failed at doing even that.

Pulling Ginny towards himself he put his arms around her "I'm sorry Gin, suddenly nine months in a tent doesn't seem that bad, I should have taken you with me"

Putting her arms around Harry Ginny looked up at him "Don't you dare blame yourself for what happened at Hogwarts Harry. You did what you believed was the right thing to do at the time, you had no way of knowing what it was going to be like at school"

"But Gin!..."

"No buts" said Ginny firmly while putting a finger on Harry's lips to stop him talking "now first of all being underage I wouldn't have been much use to you if you had taken me with you, being in control of the ministry they could have used the trace to detect any magic I performed. Secondly I didn't exactly help the situation I was in at Hogwarts"

"What do you mean?" asked Harry

"Harry, I could have kept my head down like a lot of people understandably did and at the very least limited the number of times I was used for practice, but as you say "you know me" I can't do that. I had to do something so I fought against them as much as I could and restarted the DA with Neville and Luna, I don't regret fighting the Carrow's because it was the right thing to do"

Harry realised she was right in that he couldn't control everything and that he had no way of knowing what it would have been like for the students at Hogwarts while he was away. This realisation didn't make him feel any better though. Harry also realised that being as headstrong as she was there was no way she would back down from what she had just said. Ginny believed she had done the right thing by fighting the Carrow's, despite the pain it had caused her.

"Gin will you swear to me two things?" asked Harry

"What's that?"

"One. I want you to swear to me you aren't trying to rationalise what happened to you. Just because you fought against the Carrow's it doesn't mean you should have been tortured with the Cruciatus curse. I don't want you blaming yourself for what they did to you"

Ginny looked at Harry with an almost exasperated look on her face "Harry, I swear I do not blame myself for anything they did to me, I fought them knowing it would anger them but there is no excuse for what they did to me or any of the students while they were at Hogwarts. What's number two?"

"I want you to swear to me that if you ever want to talk to someone about what happened you will do so. It doesn't have to be me. Just someone you trust and are willing to talk to. You can't keep something like this bottled up"

Smiling at his concern Ginny looked Harry in the eye "I swear I'll talk it through with someone, will you promise me something Harry?"

"What's that?" asked Harry

"Will you promise me not to tell my parents please? I don't want them worrying about this, they've had too much to deal with this year"

"Gin, I won't say anything if don't want me to, but you will probably have to say something to them, plus if I know your mum and dad they probably already have worries about last year"

"What do you mean I'll probably have to say something" asked Ginny getting angry and her eyes lighting up with their usual fire "Have you already said something to mum?"

Staying calm under that glare had never been easy, but that was just what Harry had to force himself to do. "Gin I'm not the only one who picked up on the fact that you didn't want to open your letter this morning. Your mum noticed too. I just acted quickly on the off chance she hadn't, so you could open your letter without her asking questions"

"Oh" said Ginny calming down before turning nervous "but Harry what am I going to tell them? If I tell them what happened last year they will probably panic and refuse to let me go back this year. As nervous as I am about going back I want to finish my education and get my newts"

"I think you should tell them the truth" stated Harry

"WHAT!" exclaimed Ginny

"Ginny, I think you mum and dad will surprise you, like I said before, I would be very surprised if you mum and dad didn't have some sort of idea of what happened at Hogwarts last year or at the very least their own worries and fears. Plus, you could talk to them about Fred dying there being part of the problem"

"Harry I'm not sure"

"Plus, there is also something else to take into account"

"What's that?"

"As you've pointed out to me before, your mum isn't exactly the type to let things lie, if I tell her I've promised not to say anything and you don't open up she will just keep pestering you until you do"

"Oh, Merlin's Beard, your right" exclaimed Ginny "I suppose I could talk about Fred and leave the rest out but knowing mum she will only pick up on the fact that something is missing"

"What's Missing dear?" ask Mrs Weasley as she walked through the kitchen.

Harry and Ginny both froze, neither of them had seen or heard Mrs Weasley re-enter the house or approach the kitchen.

"What has she heard" hissed Ginny

"How should I know" hissed Harry back

"Why are we whispering?" asked Mrs Weasley as she passed back through the kitchen.

"DO SOMETHING" Ginny hissed at Harry forcefully

"Like what?"

"Distract her"

"So, you can escape and leave me trying to explain something I'm not allowed to explain?!"

"I thought you had a hero complex, use it to help me!"

"WHAT? I Do not have a hero complex!"

This brief argument had all been done in hissed undertones meant so Mrs Weasley couldn't hear them, unfortunately for Harry and Ginny having already raised seven children, eight if you included Harry, Mrs Weasley was no fool. During their brief argument Mrs Weasley had quietly positioned herself on the other side of the table to Harry and Ginny and had heard every word.

"I think you are being unfair Ginny throwing a hero complex at Harry to try and get him to sort this out, don't you?" said Mrs Weasley smiling.

Harry would have described the smile Mrs Weasley was giving as sweet, except he knew full well that behind this particular "sweet" smile was a formidable woman who you shouldn't underestimate. The sweetness of the smile was something of a secondary consideration as both Harry and Ginny had both frozen for a second time not realising that Mrs Weasley had re-entered the kitchen and sat down.

"I…I…I…" stammered Ginny

"Do you mind if I ask a question?" asked Mrs Weasley before continuing without waiting for a response, "does this have anything to do with the Carrow's?"

Ginny instinctively turned to Harry and glared at him with fire in her eyes. Holding his hands up in defence "Gin I swear I haven't said anything to your mum"

"Ginny, Harry is innocent" informed Mrs Weasley

Turning back to her mother, Ginny was bordering on livid, not liking the fact that something she wanted to keep secret was seemingly so public. "Then how the hell do you know about them!?"

Ignoring her outburst Mrs Weasley continued "Whenever you came back from school last year you had nightmares. Nightmares and what I can only describe as severely unsettled sleep. Sometimes you would cry out for Harry, occasionally family members, but mostly it seemed you were crying out against the Carrow's, the longer you were at school the worse your nightmares seemed to become. Whenever we asked you would deny anything and everything, as a result we've never been sure how much you remembered about your nightmares in the mornings" As Mrs Weasley was talking Ginny had slowly stood up and was making her way around the kitchen table.

"We…. We wanted to help you but it seemed you either wouldn't or couldn't let us in to know what was going on, what was happening to you. Then suddenly the war was over and everyone came home…everyone who could. Which thankfully included Harry, and we… I mean me and your dad, noticed that your nightmares weren't as bad. Admittedly it took a few weeks with the house being so full at first, but we noticed you were sleeping better and crying out in your sleep less and less. Then something made me think back to the first days after the battle, about how Harry had somehow got you to eat, shower and sleep in a few hours where I'd failed for two days. When I had a moment to stop and think about it I, was jealous at first, hurt in some ways, but then I realised I didn't care how you got better, as long as you got better, and the more time you spent with Harry the better you got. That's part of the reason I let you spend the night together after Charlie's insult, I won't deny I was nervous letting you do that, so young and unmarried, but I was coming to the realisation that you were growing up and as part of that you were turning to Harry for comfort more and more…."

With that Mrs Weasley broke down, Ginny who by this point had manoeuvred herself around the kitchen table and was the closet to her mother leapt forward and grasped her mother in a tight embrace which Mrs Weasley returned.

At this point, despite everything Mrs Weasley had said or probably because of what she said, Harry felt like an intruder, this was a moment that should always be for the two of them, Molly and Ginny. Harry stepped out of the back door and sat on a nearby bench that gave him a view of the back door, apart from Arthur, if he came home early, Harry didn't want anyone disturbing them.

Ginny found him there sometime later. Lying on his back with one arm over his eyes to protect them from the sun. "So, this where you got to"

Raising his arm to look at her Harry smiled before replying "I thought it best if you had some time alone with your mum so I came out here. I figured that if anyone turned up I could stop them from disturbing you"

As Harry hadn't moved to make room for her to sit on the bench with him she turned before sitting down on Harry's stomach.

"Ooommppphhh" gasped Harry as air was forced out of his lungs "Comfy?"

"Yes thanks" said Ginny deliberately wriggling while grinning at Harry's discomfort.

"You definitely seem to have cheered up since this morning. Feeling better about things?"

"Yes thanks. I ended up telling mum everything like you suggested and talked about Fred. I still feel nervous about going back to Hogwarts, but I feel like I could cope with it now"

"How's your mum?"

"She's fine now, bustling about getting lunch ready. She hated hearing what happened last year but said she would rather hear it and be able to help. I think she's also feeling some guilt"

"What's your mum got to feel guilty for?" asked Harry

"For feeling angry and jealous towards you, because I turned to you for support and not her"

"Your mums got nothing to feel guilty for, her child was hurting and she couldn't help. Gin about the nightmares"

"What about them" asked Ginny warily

"They are the real reason you didn't want us to be separated, aren't they?" asked Harry "Your worried they will come back aren't you?"

For a brief moment Ginny looked surprised, before looking mildly annoyed "Am I really that easy to read?"

"Sometimes" replied Harry with a smile "would it help you feel better if you had a way of contacting someone immediately without having to wait for an owl?"

"Harry what are you getting at?" asked Ginny confused

"Let me sit up" having sat up and got Ginny to sit next to him he continued with his explanation "Let's say for example that you have a nightmare and wake up at two in the morning and want to talk to someone other than your dorm room-mates, would you want the ability to call home there and then and speak to say either me or your parents?"

"Yeah that would be great if it was actually possible" replied Ginny looking baffled

"With a bit of luck, it should be. Lets go and have lunch and afterwards I'm going out for a bit, hopefully I'll be able to come back with a surprise that will make everyone feel better"

After lunch Harry left the Burrow., leaving Ginny helping her mum with chores around the house. His first stop was a visit to the Ministry of Magic so he could speak to Arthur. Having gone through the security clearance procedure he made his way to Arthur's office.

"Harry, this is an unexpected surprise" exclaimed Arthur as Harry entered his office "What can I do for you? Everything OK at home?" he asked with some concern in his voice.

"Everything is fine Arthur. The Hogwarts letters arrived this morning and it came out that Ginny didn't want to go back to school"

"Oh did she explain why?" asked Arthur with obvious alarm in his voice

"Yes she did, I hope you don't mind Arthur but I don't want to say too much right now in case Ginny or Molly want to speak to you themselves, some of what was said should probably come from them and not second hand from me"

"Very wise Harry how can I help you"

Harry explained his idea to Arthur on how he wanted to help Ginny and what he wanted to buy, yet didn't know where to buy it from. A short while later after Arthur had spoken to a couple of colleagues, Harry left the Ministry with the names of a few places he might be able to buy what he was after.

Harry got home later that afternoon with a parcel under his arm and a smile on his face, his shopping trip a success. Stepping into the kitchen he found Ginny and her mum preparing dinner while Arthur sat with a cup of tea. Having put his parcel on the table, he gave Ginny a hug before asking if there was anything he could help with.

"Were fine thanks. What's in the parcel?" asked Ginny

"Something for the four of us" replied Harry "as we are all here, do you want to open it now or wait till later"

"Now sounds good" said Ginny grinning

Moving over to the table Molly sat with Arthur while Ginny sat with Harry. "This is for the four of us to share but after what was said this morning I think you should open it Ginny" said Harry pushing the parcel towards her.

"I hope you haven't been wasting your money on anything frivolous" said Molly eyeing the parcel

"No Molly I've bought something that even if it is only needed once will be worth every Knutt I paid for it"

At this point Ginny finished unwrapping the package to reveal two mirrors. Looking confused Ginny turned to Harry "Harry, I already have a mirror why would I need two more?"

"You don't have a mirror like either of these, plus only one of them is yours, the other is staying here. These are Two Way Mirrors"

Ginny still looked confused, so her farther took up the explanation, "Ginny, Two Way Mirrors are enchanted with a protean charm that connects them, the idea is you take one mirror with you to Hogwarts and Harry keeps the second one here. If you need to speak to Harry you hold your mirror in both hands and say Harry's name, when he picks his mirror up your image will appear on his mirror and Harry's image will appear on your mirror, allowing you to have a face to face conversation, no matter how far apart you are"

"and don't forget I've bought them for us to share, these mirrors have been set up so you can talk to your mum and dad as well, not just me" said Harry finishing the explanation.

"So, this is what you meant about calling you at two in the morning?" asked Ginny with a look of wonderment on her face that was rapidly turning into a smile.

"Yeah, I got the idea from Sirius" said Harry looking down. The sudden thought of Sirius, caused Harry to remember the painful memories of what had happened at the Ministry in his fifth year.

"Your godfather would be proud of you Harry and not just what you achieved earlier this year. I think he would be more proud of how your trying to help Ginny now" said Arthur

Harry could feel tears in his eyes and wiped his face with his sleeve "Thanks Arthur I know he would, it's just he gave me a Two Way Mirror at Christmas that year so I could talk to him. I was so worried about him getting caught I refused to open it and forgot about it. If I had remembered about it things might have happened differently"

There was a moment of silence before Ginny pulled Harry into a hug to try and comfort him.

"You can't blame yourself Harry" said Arthur "You were being manipulated by Voldemort, sooner or later that battle was most probably going to happen, regardless of whenever you were there or not and Sirius died doing what he considered the most important job of all protecting you and not because you were the chosen one or because your parents had asked him to, but because he saw you as a son"

Pulling away from Ginny, Harry sat up straight and wiped his eyes again. "Thanks Arthur, I know it was Voldemort's fault ultimately, but I can't help feeling guilty about what happened"

"Good people always do son"

After a few moments of silence Molly spoke up "You know what these mirrors need testing. Arthur why don't you take Ginny and apparate somewhere, you can then show Ginny how to use the mirror while we wait here" refusing to take no an answer, Molly bustled the father and daughter out of the door.

As soon as they had apparated away, Molly quickly turned to Harry "You know Harry you were very wise to advise Ginny to talk to someone and not to keep things bottled up. I think you may need to listen to your own advice and don't ever forget if you want to talk to someone other than Ginny, me and Arthur will always be there for you"

Harry smiled and was about to respond when Ginny's voice filled the kitchen.

"Harry James Potter, Harry are you there?" said Ginny's disembodied voice.

As he was picking up the second mirror he gestured to Molly to sit with him "Hey Gin I'm here" said Harry into the mirror as Ginny's image appeared in the mirror "where did your dad apparate you to?"

Looking a bit embarrassed Ginny said "Err I didn't really believe they would work all the way to Hogwarts so dad apparated us to the edge of Hogsmeade"

"Are you convinced now?" Asked Harry smiling

"Yes and thank you"

"Well tell your father to bring you back now" interrupted Molly it's time we got dinner finished"

"Yes mum" said Ginny rolling her eyes

Once they were back at the Burrow, Molly handed Ginny the second Mirror and told her to put them, somewhere safe until they needed them. Harry offered several times to help with dinner, but neither Molly or Ginny would accept his help. The same could be said for after dinner, when Harry stood up and started to wash up, Molly shooed him away from the sink before promptly handing the job to Ron and George.

"Favouritism is what it is" muttered George

"He's done something while we were out" said Ron eyeing Harry suspiciously.

"Like what?" asked George

Ron was quiet for a few moments, he could remember Ginny's odd behaviour earlier that morning. As both Ginny and his mum were smiling almost continuously at Harry, it was obvious to Ron that Harry had managed to solve Ginny's problem, but as nothing had been said to the rest of the family it was also obvious they were keeping it fairly private. Showing a degree of understanding, consideration and empathy he wasn't normally capable of, Ron decided not to say anything else to George.

"I've no idea bro, but as he has two Weasley females wrapped around his little finger tonight, I think it's safe to say we don't stand a chance of getting out of this washing up. So, let's get on with it"

 _AN - This marks the end of the flash back chapters and the next chapter is where the present day chapters take over and some questions will be answered._


	16. Chapter 16 Two Months Too Late

**Chapter 16 Two Months Too Late**

This had to be wrong. He'd wanted to have missed something, but this! The implications were too horrifying to contemplate. He had to be wrong, he had to be. Only with a rapidly growing sense of unease Harry was beginning to accept that he wasn't wrong and that he had finally found the answer he had been looking for, for the last two months. Two months, TWO BLOODY MONTHS before he managed to see what had been in front of him from the start, even then it had taken Ginny's last desperate letter to him to give him the hint he needed to work out that Ginny was in trouble, serious trouble.

Spread out across the table in front of him were the five main letters that Ginny had sent to him, underneath each letter was a sheet of parchment that Harry had been writing on. It had been the last letter Ginny had sent that had helped Harry to solve the puzzle, with her emphasizing the word dotty. Harry had gone back and reread the letters and finally realised what had been bugging him since he had received the last letter. Each letter had been covered in dots that shouldn't have been there. When he had first read the letters, Harry had taken them to be the dots of ink you regularly got when wrote with a quill and the ink sometimes dripped of the end of the quill, but he had realised that the dots of ink were far too regular in size and only appeared within the body of the writing and none were around the edges or in the blank areas of the parchment.

Each of these dots were centred underneath a letter. Taking a closer look at the first letter Harry had noticed that although they were under letters from different words, the first six dots had sat under the letters H.E.L.P.M.E. Seeing this had caused Harry's blood to run cold. He had forced himself to take a few calming breaths before carrying on. The dots continued as he went through the letter, the next seven dots sat under the letters T.R.O.U.B.L.E. and the next eight dots sat under the letters D.E.A.T.H.E.A.T. The letter T had been in the last word of the letter and Ginny had seemingly ran out of words to finish spelling out Death Eaters.

The remaining letters all carried on in the same way with Ginny seemingly trying to send a hidden message within a message. However, the words "Help me" came up in every letter. As he had gone through the letters Harry had also found "Burrow watched" "room of req" "pol jus" and most painfully "I still luv u".

Harry had gone over each letter several times to make sure he hadn't made a mistake and with each check was more convinced that he was right.

"Room of req" and "pol jus" were easily translated into room of requirement and Polyjuice potion. The implications of "Burrow watched" was severely problematic, if the Burrow was being watched, then by logical extension Ron and Hermione were being watched as well, so he couldn't turn to them for help or any of the Weasley family. If he was to help Ginny he would have to either find someone he could trust fast or deal with it himself.

As he was sat contemplating what to do Kreacher entered the room, "Excuse me Master, but there is a gentleman at the door asking to speak with you"

Harry had been so engrossed in his wondering that he hadn't heard a knock at the door.

"Who is it Kreacher?"

"He said his name was Charlie Weasley master"

Harry had no idea what Charlie was doing at Grimmauld place, the last he had heard he was still in Romania. What worried Harry the most was Ginny's hidden message of "Burrow watched". If the Burrow was being watched then it was possible that Ginny's death eaters knew he was here

"Please tell him now isn't a good time and I can't accept any guests"

"As you wish Master" replied Kreacher

Harry turned back to the letters and tried to get back to thinking of a possible solution. He didn't get far though as there was a sudden shout from Charlie followed by a bang.

"HARRY! I'm not taking no for an answer! Get out here…." Was as far as Charlie got before the sudden bang.

Resigning himself to having to deal with Charlie himself, Harry stood up and walked into the hallway, where he heard Kreacher say "You will leave master alone!" looking down the hallway Harry saw Charlie seemingly pinned to the wall by an invisible force, Kreacher was stood with his right hand raised and the fingers of his right hand spread outwards.

"Harry! What the hell? You told your house elf to attack me?!" cried Charlie

"No, I told him to tell you now is not a good time and that I can't accept guests. I assume you tried to force your way past him?"

"Well yeah I want to talk to you"

"I appreciate that Charlie but I had just given Kreacher instructions that amounted to "keep you out" as you tried to force your way past him, Kreacher as a house elf is allowed to use his magic in defence of his master and his masters home"

"I don't want to sound overly arrogant but how is it he can overpower a fully-grown wizard?" asked Charlie

Harry shrugged "To the best of my knowledge house elf magic isn't any weaker than a wizards, they just have rules to follow"

"OH" replied Charlie "Harry please I just want to talk about you and Ginny"

"Kreacher, let him go, he can come in"

"Are you sure Master?" asked Kreacher

"Yes, I'm sure. Let him in" said Harry walking into the living room without looking back. Once in the living room Harry quickly gathered together the letters and the hidden messages and put them upside down in a pile so they couldn't be read.

Charlie entered the living room somewhat nervously "You haven't got any more house elves hiding around here have you?"

A wry smile crossed Harry's lips "No just Kreacher and as you now have permission to be here you should be OK, as long as you don't attack me. What did you want to talk about Charlie?"

Pausing slightly Charlie asked "Harry what really happened between you and Ginny? The last contact I had was a long letter from her telling me about the birthdays the two of you had along with the Two Way Mirrors you bought for her"

Looking up Harry couldn't hide his surprise "She told you about the mirrors?!"

"Yeah, she explained in her letter that she wanted to tell someone about the mirrors but couldn't tell someone at home as she needed to keep it between you, her, mum and dad"

"The decision was made to keep the Mirrors between the four of us. As it turned out no one was sure if they were allowed at Hogwarts. Your mum wasn't happy about keeping secrets from McGonagall but a reminder of something that had happened changed her mind. As for the birthdays, I remember them being the best birthdays we'd ever had. Both birthdays followed the same simple format, family, a few friends and an open buffet provided by your mum. Ginny got me two photos that were set into a single frame side by side, the first was of me, Ron and Hermione taken in our first year, the second was of the three of us taken shortly after Voldemort's defeat. To this day I don't remember how that second pic was taken"

"What did you get Ginny?" asked Charlie

"Well you mum and dad had bought Ginny a new broom for becoming head girl and quidditch captain, so I got her a new pair of flying gloves and a pair of earrings that matched the necklace I had bought her when…!" Harry sopped himself from going any further, not wanting to bring up bad memories.

"When I was being an arse I think you were going to say" said Charlie grinning.

Harry grinned at Charlie's comment but didn't say anything.

"Ginny told me in her letter what mum and dad got you, it's still there fixed pointing at "run away from home" they miss you Harry, everyone wants you to go back home"

The birthday present in question that Harry had received from Molly and Arthur was his own hand on the magical clock. Something Harry had secretly wanted for a long time.

"I can't go back Charlie, at least not just yet"

"What do you mean "not just yet"" asked Charlie

Harry cursed himself inwardly for that slip, he didn't want to let the Weasley's know anything. If they were being watched the fact that they knew something could put the family at risk as well as Ginny. Inventing quickly Harry said "Oh I was just referring to how bad things were between me and Gin"

The look on Charlie's face made it obvious he didn't believe him "What happened to cause the break up Harry? I can't get my head around how Ginny went from loving and trusting you enough to allow you to confiscate her wand to joining the Harry Potter sucks club"

Harry couldn't help but chuckle at Charlie's "Harry Potter sucks club" comment. "Nothing happened Charlie, there was no argument no incident. Nothing"

"Nothing at all, she just broke up with you one day with no explanation?"

"Everything had been going great, we had travelled to Hogwarts on the train along with Ron and Hermione and the four of us spent most of the journey trying to avoid fans. When lessons started we were in the same potions class and were each other's partners. Thanks to the mirrors we were able to talk to each other on a nearly daily basis. Then there was two days where I didn't hear from her, then a letter arrived basically saying we had broken up and she was no longer my girlfriend"

"That's it?" asked Charlie

"Pretty much. There were never any signs that she was upset or anything. After that first letter, I wrote to her and tried contacting her with the mirrors. She never responded to the mirror, all I got was a few more letters telling me she didn't love me, she hated me and I was to leave her and her family alone. In potions, she arranged to swap partners so she could work on the far side of the room with her back to me"

"I don't get it" said Charlie shaking his head

"That makes two of us" answered Harry

Charlie studied Harry for a few moments, he could tell there was something that Harry was keeping from him but had no idea what.

"Well I'm in England for Christmas, if this situation hasn't been solved by then I'll try talking to her when she comes home for the Christmas holiday, I refuse to believe she just stopped loving you overnight"

"Thanks Charlie"

"In the meantime, I'd better show my face back home"

"What do you mean?" asked Harry looking puzzled.

"I used an official port key to get me from Romania to the Ministry here in London, then apparated straight here. I haven't been home yet" explained Charlie. "If all else fails I'll bring Bill, George and Ron round one evening and we can share a drink. See you soon Harry" at that Charlie stood up and walked out of the living room into the hallway.

Harry sat for a moment while the meaning of Charlie's words sunk in "He hasn't been home" he said to himself quietly "He hasn't been…the death eaters won't know he's…" leaping from his chair, Harry ran from the living room into the hallway, seeing Charlie about to walk through the open front door Harry cried out to him "CHARLIE WAIT"

"Harry!" exclaimed Charlie turning in the doorway.

"Charlie come back inside and shut the door, I need your help"

Doing as he was asked Charlie stepped back inside and shut the door before turning to Harry with a look of concern on his face.

"What's the matter Harry?"

"I think Gin's in trouble"

"Why are you only just telling someone now? Why wait till I show up on your doorstep?"

"I'm only just telling you now because of two reasons. One I only found out she's in trouble about an hour ago and two I didn't know you had come here straight from the ministry"

"Straight from the Ministry? What's that got to do with it?"

"It's possible that the Burrow is being watched, I didn't say anything before because I thought you had come from there and I didn't want to put you or the family at risk"

"Harry you're not making much sense"

"Come with me" said Harry and without waiting for response walked back into the living room.

Charlie re-entered the living room and found Harry at his desk sorting through some sheets of parchment, five of which he placed in a line along the desk along with a spare sheet of parchment and a quill.

"These are the letters I received from Ginny after the break up, I think Ginny has been trying to send hidden messages within the break up letters. Either that or I've been obsessing over the break up so much I've gone mad and started to see things that aren't really there" Handing Charlie another sheet of parchment Harry continued "This is Ginny's last letter to me, I think it was a last desperate attempt to give me a clue to find the hidden messages"

Charlie read the brief letter that was in his hand "Dotty?"

"Hold that thought" said Harry gesturing to the letters on the desk

Charlie started reading through the letters "well they are all covered with dots of ink, which is unlike Ginny she usually writes better than this" said Charlie "Wait a minute"

Charlie suddenly grabbed the quill and started writing down letters as he looked back and forth between the sheet of parchment and Ginny's letters. Harry was relieved to see he had seen the same thing he had and was writing down the same hidden messages.

When Charlie finished finding the hidden messages and finally turned to Harry he had gone pale "Harry please tell me this is a wind up, please tell me this is some sick joke and my sister is safe at school"

"If it is a Joke I'm not the perpetrator. These are the letters I received from Ginny. I've done nothing to alter them. If you don't believe me your welcome to test me with Veritaserum"

Charlie took a deep breath to calm himself before continuing "Sorry Harry it's a lot to take in. Harry, we need to warn the family, let them know they are in danger"

"We can't, not yet, the hidden message said the Burrow is being watched but we don't know who is watching the Burrow or how. If we go there and do something that causes the family to act differently it could put the family's and Ginny's lives at risk, we need to find out more before we go to the family"

"Harry, I understand why you can't go, but what about me? I could walk in as if nothing's wrong and have a quiet word with dad and explain that they need to act normal. At least that way there will be someone who is aware and keeping an eye out"

"Let me give you a plausible example, I know of someone who is an unregistered animagi and can turn into a spider. Now I'm not saying this person is involved but if they were they could be inside the Burrow and you would probably never know"

"I don't know what scares me more, the thought that I never would have thought of something like that or the fact that your experiences have caused you to think like that. What do we do Harry?"

"'I'd say we need to go to Hogwarts, but I need a min to figure out how to approach things"

As Harry was pacing back and forth, Charlie's attention was drawn back to the letters and the hidden messages, rereading them he came across something he wasn't sure about "Harry, what is the "Room of req"?" he asked.

"The Room of Requirement" answered Harry looking at Charlie confused "I would have thought you at least knew about it. It provided a tunnel that allowed the Order into Hogwarts and gave the students an escape route"

"I heard about it after the battle, but didn't fully understand what little bits people were saying about it. With everything going on I never got around to asking someone for more details"

"It's part of the magic of Hogwarts, you normally gain entrance to it from a seventh-floor corridor and it gives you what you require in any given circumstance. For example, I believe Fred and George found it once, only they didn't know what it was at the time, they needed a place to hide from Filch and the room provided them with a broom cupboard to hide in. Last year Neville found it when he was on the run from the Carrow's. It became the base for the DA and provided them with almost everything they needed to survive and to continue fighting the Carrow's"

"Almost everything?" asked Charlie

"The one thing it can't provide is food, that's where the passage way came from. Neville had been in there for two days and needed food so the room provided a passageway to the Hog's Head so he could get something to eat from Aberforth. I gather Neville spent so much time in the room over last year he became something of an expert on it"

Harry paused at his own comment, the mention of Neville and his time spent within the room of requirement was giving him the outlines of an idea on how to proceed.

"Charlie do you have any idea where the Longbottom's live? Neville and his Gran I mean, not his parents" asked Harry

"Yeah I do they were well known to the order"


	17. Chapter 17 Recruiting Neville

_AN - I just want to say another thanks to mdauben and Iwik for your positive reviews and for the 15 people now following this story. I really do appreciate your support, If I'm honest I never expected to find anyone who would like my story. So please continue to review and leave your thoughts._

 _This chapter is a little short but there is a big chapter coming next. I'll post it ASAP but work commitments will probably cause it to be delayed by a couple of days_

 _Thanks again hope you all enjoy this chapter_

 **Chapter 17 Recruiting Neville**

A short while later Harry and Charlie were stood outside the Longbottom house, it was a seemingly modest detached house on the outskirts of a muggle village in the south of England.

Harry had only paused to put on a coat, grab his invisibility cloak and his DA coin. As he had never been to the Longbottom house Charlie apparated to the house while taking harry side along.

When they first arrived, the front garden reminded Harry of Privet Drive. The small front lawn was perfectly square neatly cut and perfectly edged, the plants were arranged in perfect order and were neatly pruned and the pathway leading up the side of the garden was perfectly flat, free of weeds growing through the cracks and swept clean of any rubbish or debris.

"I came here once briefly during the war to make sure the wards were in place and no death eaters had gotten in. Neville's Gran was in hiding by then. There's something about this garden that makes me feel uncomfortable" said Charlie

Harry laughed "That's probably because you grew up at the Burrow rather than Privet Drive" he explained.

"Excuse me?" said Charlie looking confused

"You grew up at the Burrow which is home for a family of nine so it has a warm comfortable feel to it, on top of which it is also a wizard's house set apart from the muggle world, so it can look however the wizards living there want it to look. This however is sat on the edge of a muggle village, so the front of the house and the garden have been made to look like a muggle house and garden so as not to attract unwanted attention from muggles, plus the only people living here are Neville and his Gran. So, I suspect that Neville maintains it but his Gran tells him how"

As he finished talking Harry had stepped forward and had been about to open the gate, when the front door opened and Neville stepped out carrying some muggle gardening tools. He didn't see them at first as he was too busy calling back through the doorway to his Gran. "YES, Gran I've got the sheers, you can leave it to me" Looking up as he was walking down the garden path he finally saw Harry and Charlie.

"Harry!" he exclaimed "what are you doing here?"

"Hey Neville" said Harry shaking Neville's offered hand "Do you have somewhere private we can go and talk. I need your help, urgently"

Leading them inside, Neville went to go up the stairs when the voice of his Gran echoed through the house.

"Neville is that you? Don't tell me you've finished already, you've only been outside thirty seconds"

"Gran the pruning will have to wait, Harry's here and he needs to talk"

"Harry Who?"

Neville looked exasperated "Harry Potter, the guy I went to school with, the guy who defeated Voldemort, that Harry"

There was a pause before his Gran cried out again "Well don't take too long those rose bushes wont prune themselves"

"Upstairs quick guy's" said Neville letting Harry and Charlie go first before quickly following himself.

At the top of the stairs Neville pointed to a door "first door on the left" stepping inside Neville's bedroom the first thing Harry saw was a wall of green. Down one side of the bedroom was shelves of plants covering the entire wall. The opposite wall had all of the bedroom furniture squeezed together along it. The wall opposite the door contained a window with a small desk sat beneath it.

Seeing Harry look at the wall of plants Neville explained "With us living on the edge of a muggle village I can't risk growing these magical plants outside or on the ground floor in case someone sees them so I have to make do with what space I have in here. What can I do for you Harry? You said something about needing my help?"

"Yes, I did"

Harry spent the next twenty minutes bringing Neville up to speed, explaining about the break up letters, the hidden messages and why Charlie was helping him rather than Ron and Hermione. At the end of Harry's explanation Neville turned to Harry and said "If you and Ginny need my help Harry you've got it, but what can I do for you"

"I need your understanding on how the Room of Requirement works Neville. I know how to get inside it if it is empty, but not how to get in if it is occupied, which it might be"

"OK what's the plan Harry?"

"Thanks Neville. The problem we face is none of us has a justifiable reason to be walking around inside Hogwarts"

At this Neville interrupted "But Harry aren't you a part time student?"

"Yes, I am but I'm not due in today and we need to act now before Charlie is missed, he hasn't been back to the Burrow yet so they might not know he's in the country yet" Both Neville and Charlie nodded their understanding "However the best I can come up with that we use Charlie as a distraction who hopefully will be able to deliver a message to Gin at the same time. Charlie if you walk into the school and ask to speak to Professor McGonagall, explain to her that you had come home for Christmas but have received word that your holiday has been cancelled due to a nasty accident at work and you're hoping she will let you have a few minutes to speak to Ginny as you will no longer be able to see her at Christmas"

"OK then what" asked Charlie

"We will need you to keep her there as long as possible so say anything to her, but we need you to give her a message so she knows we are finally there to help but it will have to be in code in case someone else hears it"

"What's the coded message going to be" asked Charlie

Harry paused to think for a moment "Tell her you have spoken to me and tell her that I am still absolutely dotty about her. Hopefully that should tell her I finally understood her hidden messages. In the meantime, you and me Neville are going to enter the school under my invisibility cloak. As we have both grown we will have to crouch down and hope no one sees our feet. We will head straight for the seventh floor and attempt to get into the Room of Requirement"

"What do you expect to find inside the Room of Requirement?" asked Neville

"I don't know exactly what we will find. I'm just hoping we can get in and find some answers. Do either of you have any questions or ideas?"

"Just one question Harry. How are we going to communicate while we are separated? If you walk into that Room and its full of death eaters you are going to need back up and need it quickly"

"Do you still have your DA coin Neville?" asked Harry

"Of course, I do" said Neville pulling it out of his pocket "I carry it with me out of habit these days, never thought I'd need it again though"

"OK, Charlie you take mine, these are fake galleons that are enchanted with a protean charm. The date and serial numbers change when it receives a message. It will heat up when it receives a message so keep it close to your skin"

Charlie sat with the fake galleon in his hand looking shocked yet impressed. "Merlin's beard where did you get these from?"

"Hermione made them during our fifth year. When we set up the DA we needed a way to communicate in secret, so Umbridge couldn't find out when we were meeting. They were indispensable during last year, the Carrow's never figured out how we were communicating" explained Neville with some obvious pride.

"Incredible" said Charlie before fastening the coin in his shirt pocket

"OK let's go" said Harry

As it turned out simply leaving wasn't that easy. Neville's Gran was not impressed that the roses hadn't been pruned, neither was she happy with Neville trying to leave without explaining why. In the end Harry had to tell her a half-truth without going into details and that he needed Neville's help to rescue someone.

They decided to apparate to the shrieking shack and to walk from there. Hopefully the shack would be deserted as usual and would decrease the chance of them being seen before putting the cloak on. Once the cloak was on, they agreed that Charlie would walk on one side of the path while Harry and Neville would walk on the other side and that there would be no conversation between them.

At first Harry was worried Charlie would give the game away as he kept looking across the path towards Harry and Neville, as if he was trying to see them. Thankfully he seemed to realise what he was doing himself and started focusing on looking where he was going.

After a few minutes' walk up the long driveway Harry started to realise a problem with his plan. He hadn't realised how much taller he and Neville both were and they were stuck bent over nearly double to keep their feet hidden. His back was already in pain from being bent over and they were only half way up the drive.

As they were approaching the main doors Harry's back was in agony, seeing there was no one around Harry decided to take a risk and guided Neville behind a low hedge "Stand up straight but keep walking" he whispered to Neville "the hedge will hide our feet" Neville's only response was a nod and a grunt as he straightened up. The relief was immediate but short lived, they quickly ran out of hedge to walk behind and had to bend over again to hide their feet.

As they approached the main doors Charlie was stood holding the door open while seemingly admiring the view, Harry realised he was holding the door open for them so they could walk through with him and avoid having to open the door themselves while under the invisibility cloak. As they passed through the door way and went past Charlie, Harry touched him on the shoulder to let him know they were there, the small touch caused Charlie to jump slightly. He had obviously been expecting a signal from Harry and Neville but not what or when. Charlie then closed the door and turned around making a show of admiring the sight within the entrance hall as if he was reminiscing, rather than entering through false pretences while on a rescue mission.

Before Charlie had managed to take two steps further into the entrance hall a sneering voice called out "Who are you and what do you want here?"

"Ah Mr Filch, it's good to see some things never change" replied Charlie "I need to speak to the Headmistress would you be so good as to point me in her direction please"

"Eh, just clear off we don't want the likes of you here" said Filch

"Mr Filch I will not clear off unless instructed to do so by the Headmistress. If you won't direct me to her perhaps you could fetch her for me. Please tell her that Charlie Weasley is here and needs to speak to her"

Realising Charlie had things under control, they were only wasting time standing and watching his performance. Nudging Neville to get moving they headed up the stairs. Luckily the corridors were empty, Harry realised that the students were still in classes "Lets pick up the pace while everyone is in class" he whispered to Neville who straightened up and picked up the pace.

Before long they were on the seventh-floor corridor opposite the tapestry of Barnabas the barmy teaching troll's ballet. Looking around to check the corridor was deserted, Harry pulled the cloak of himself and Neville and quickly shoved it into his coat pocket.

"Okay Neville you're up" said Harry

"What do you want me to try first?"

"How about the place where the death eaters are hiding" suggested Harry

Neville started pacing back and forth in front of the blank wall muttering "I need to find the place the death eaters are hiding" after the third time passing the wall nothing happened.

"Okay how about the place where Ginny is hiding" suggested Harry

Neville nodded and continued pacing back and forth this time muttering "I need to find the place that Ginny is hiding in" again after the third time of passing the wall nothing happened.

"What now Harry?" asked Neville

"Erm I'm not sure" replied Harry "How about Ginny's hidden place or Ginny's Base or Ginny's hideout or …" Harry was increasingly aware he was panicking and throwing out random suggestions that probably wouldn't work, but in his panic, he couldn't stop, his plan had relied on him getting into the Room of Requirement.

In his panic, he failed to see Neville turn away from him and seemingly study the blank wall in front of them. Pacing back and forth in front of the wall after the third time of passing in front of the wall a door appeared.

"HARRY!" Called out Neville to get his attention.

Turning around Harry saw the newly appeared door with Neville holding its handle. Stepping forward Harry looked at Neville and asked "How did you get the door to appear?"

"I asked for the place Ginny was being kept prisoner" replied Neville


	18. Chapter 18 The 2nd Hogwarts Battle

**Chapter 18 The Second Hogwarts Battle**

"I asked for the place Ginny was being kept prisoner" Neville had said.

Harry found himself momentarily frozen, Neville's words had caused his blood to run cold with fear. Pulling out his wand and motioning to Neville to do the same he forced himself to take a deep breath before saying "Open it"

Once the door was open they were presented with a barely lit room. Using Lumos to light his wand and hearing Neville do the same, Harry stepped into the room. Looking to the right, the light from Harry's wand illuminated what appeared to be a potions laboratory. Sat over a heat source was a thick glutinous potion that appeared very familiar to Harry. Having checked the right-hand side of the room Harry slowly moved his wand to the left slowly, after the potions laboratory there was nothing but a rough stone wall for about twenty feet until he reached the far-left hand corner. When the light from his wand reached the left-hand corner, it revealed what at first glance appeared to be a large pile of old rags. Harry paused with his wand light on the rags, as they were so seemingly out of place. Before he could decide to move on, the bundle of rags lifted its head.

It took Harry a moment to realise what he was looking at, Ginny was wearing clothes that were so dirty that from a distance they looked like long forgotten rags. Her hair was so dirty and matted it had none of its usual shine and she was so far tucked into the corner it was if she wanted to be there.

"Ginny?" said Harry struggling to believe what he was seeing

"Harry?" said a quiet and hoarse voice

"GINNY" cried out Harry while running across the room.

As Harry approached Ginny they wrapped their arms around each other, it was only then and as they clinked and rubbed against his skin that Harry realised that Ginny was in chains. Attached to each of her four limbs were manacles that were firmly attached to no more than four feet of chains.

"Ginny who did this to you" asked Harry

At his words Ginny froze. "Harry, you need to get out of here" said Ginny

"What? Ginny I'm going nowhere without you"

"Harry, it's a trap, it all is, the break up, the letters, it's all a trap to bring you here"

"I don't care Gin! I'm not leaving here without you!" exclaimed Harry "Now hold still while I blast these chains"

"Harry no!" cried Ginny

As Ginny cried no Harry fired his blasting spell, which bounced of the chains having done no damage.

"Harry the chains have been bound to the person who created them" cried out Ginny "You can't destroy them, unless you kill the person who made them or if they release them voluntary"

"Who created them" cried out Harry while dodging a rebound of his spell

"I Did"

Turning with his wand already raised Harry was confronted by a second Ginny standing in the potions laboratory. Only this was no Ginny he wanted to remember, it was a Ginny that he knew would haunt his nightmares. The Ginny in the potions lab was more Brunette than redhead, there was a sneer on her face that didn't fit right on the normally pretty face and on top of which her features kept changing as if they couldn't decide what to be.

"Harry its Alecto Carrow, she's been using Polyjuice potion to pretend to be me" cried the dishevelled Ginny behind him, a quick glance back showed Ginny seemingly trying to crawl back into a stone wall.

Harry slowly stood, taking time to ensure he knew where everyone was, Ginny, His Ginny was in the corner behind him, the Brunette Ginny/Carrow was diagonally opposite him and Neville was to his right.

"Let me guess Alecto you're pissed with me for defeating the dark lord and you forgot that your side lost?" asked Harry

"Lost? The war isn't over boy. We will only have lost when all of those loyal to the Dark Lord are no more" replied Carrow

"You are truly insane" said Harry "You do realise you can't bring him back"

"He came back before, he can come back again only this time you won't be there to ruin everything and I'll become his most trusted servant"

Harry realised there was no point arguing with the woman, she clearly had gone insane and was no longer capable of any sort of rational thought. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that Neville had moved and had slowly stepped away from himself and Ginny. Realising Neville was trying to get behind Carrow without being seen, Harry decided to try and keep her talking.

"Why do this" he asked "Why kidnap Ginny and do all of this, you could have come after me and left Ginny alone"

"Two reasons boy. First of all, whenever you realise it or not you are too well protected to attack head on, I needed to draw you out of your protection. Secondly, I wanted you to suffer first. Simply dying is too good for you. Kidnapping the blood traitor and taking her place was an easy step to achieving both goals" answered Carrow who was beginning to look more like herself "Though I've got to say I didn't expect to be stuck pretending to be the blood traitor for quite so long, did you really have to be so dim"

"What are you getting at?" asked Harry

"What do you see in this idiot" Carrow asked Ginny who didn't respond and stayed curled up in the corner.

"Your blood traitor girlfriend here has already given you the answer. It was all one big trap, the letters, the hidden messages. It was all me" declared Carrow with an evil smile on her face. "and you walked right into it and as a bonus you bought me Longbottom as well. I think I'm going to enjoy killing you almost as much as Potter here, thanks to all the trouble you caused last year"

Harry shrugged his shoulders "Trap or not the three of us are walking out of here. Drop your wand"

"I don't think so" replied Carrow, who with a sudden flick of her wrist sent a blasting hex at Harry.

Harry responded with a shield charm deflecting the hex into ceiling where it created a large hole causing dust and debris to rain down on Harry and Ginny. Carrow wasn't wasting any time and wasn't giving Harry or Neville a chance to fire back. In the time, it took Harry to deflect the blasting hex and raise his shield to protect Ginny from the debris, Carrow had managed to fire a curse at Neville swing back and fire a second shot at Harry. As she was attacking so quickly Harry barely had time to lower his shield again to deflect the second attack. Harry decided to keep his shield up and keep himself and Ginny covered. It made no sense to try and attack right now, if he lowered his shield in order to attack he would leave himself and Ginny exposed. Glancing across the room he saw that Neville was doing the same thing.

After what seemed like an age, Carrow's attacks started to slow, she seemed to realise herself that she was tiring and that her attacks had done nothing accept reflect of Harry's and Neville's shields. She suddenly sent out a brief series of hexes and curses that came at a speed that was quicker than ever before, the intensity of the sudden attack caused Harry and Neville to focus solely on keeping their shields up, willing more magic into them to keep the shields raised. At the end of the intense attack Carrow ran for the door and dived through it calling out as she went through the door "Come and find me boy" Harry, Neville and Ginny were left coughing in a cloud of dust as it settled.

"Harry, we need to get after her" said Neville in between coughs

"Message Charlie for help, I'm not leaving Ginny alone" said Harry

Neville glanced briefly between Harry and Ginny, but didn't say anything. Pulling out his DA coin he briefly touched it with the tip of his wand. He was moving to the door as he put the coin back in his pocket. As he approached the door, he edged towards it carefully before pushing it open an inch and glancing through the gap. Satisfied the coast was clear in that direction he pushed the door open further and looked in the opposite direction, before stepping out into the corridor. Leaving the door open he set off back the way they had come.

Harry watched him go while feeling guilty about sending Neville off to face Carrow alone. But there was no way he was leaving Ginny alone in the room. Chained to the wall with bound chains there was no way she could defend herself and if Carrow returned she wouldn't hesitate to kill Ginny now her disguise had been blown.

Crouching back down in front of Ginny, Harry started brushing the fallen dust and debris of her face, hair and shoulders. Deciding he was getting nowhere by brushing the dust off he said the spell "Aguamenti" and controlled it so a small slow stream of water was coming out of the end of his wand. Catching some in the cup of his left hand he gently tried to wash Ginny's face, until she grabbed his right wrist and pulled his wand closer to her, at first Harry thought she was trying to clean her face more thoroughly, that was until he saw her mouth was open and she was trying to drink the water. At that Harry positioned his wand so she could drink more easily. When she finally pushed at his hand he cancelled the water spell.

Ginny coughed and spluttered briefly before giving him a very small smile and saying "Thanks"

"Your welcome" said Harry quietly

"Harry, you need to go after Neville" said Ginny "he won't be able to deal with Carrow by himself"

"Ginny I'm not leaving you here alone, you can't defend yourself like this and for all we know Carrow could come back. At which point she will probably won't hesitate to kill you now her cover is blown, besides Neville shouldn't be alone, Charlie should have raised the alarm and got some teachers to help"

"and what if help doesn't come and Neville can't stop her, she'll come back here and you will have to fight her by yourself while trying to defend me at the same time"

Neither of them said anything for a short while after Ginny's comment, they both knew that both arguments were valid and both courses would entail a risk.

"Gin I'm not leaving you here alone, but if someone we trust walks through that door, I'll get them to stay here with you and go and help Neville" said Harry offering a compromise of sorts. Ginny nodded her head in agreement "In the meantime let's see if we can do something about these chains"

"Harry, I told you they are bound to Carrow, unless she releases them herself someone will have to kill her" said Ginny

"I know the chains are bound but what about the stone where they join the wall? If she bound the chain but not the wall it's possible I could blast the stone and remove the chain from the wall. The chain would still be attached to you but you would be free of the wall. You reckon its worth a try?"

"I don't know Harry" said Ginny nervously

"The other option is we sit here doing nothing and hope Neville and Charlie are successful"

Taking a deep breath before answering Ginny replied with "Do it" Harry was relieved to see some of her usual determination to return.

Harry took off his coat and placed it over her as best as he could, it being the only protection from any falling stonework he could offer her.

"OK pull one of the Chains tight and lean back as far as you can"

The chain for her right arm went tight, Harry put himself between Ginny and the wall and aimed down the chain "Confringo" he yelled putting as much magic as he dared into the spell. Despite being careful his proximity to the wall along with the power of the spell, Harry was forced backwards into Ginny.

"Aaahhh" cried out Ginny

"Sorry are you alright?" asked Harry picking himself up.

"Yeah we just pulled on my arm when you fell into me"

Moving over to the wall Harry checked to see if he had managed to do any damage to the stone wall. Though the chain was still firmly embedded in the wall a piece of stone next to it had been removed.

"Try again?" he asked Ginny.

Nodding her head, Ginny pulled the chain tight again. Harry positioned himself next to Ginny this time so he would be forced back into her this time. He took aim down the chain again and was about to say the spell when a voice behind him spoke. Causing both of them to jump and Harry to spin round aiming at the door.

"Now Harry and Ginny just what are you doing in the room of requirement, when your friends are fighting Alecto Carrow" said a dreamy sounding voice

"LUNA" cried Harry

"Harry?" replied Luna

"LUNA!" Cried Ginny

"Ginny?" replied Luna

"LUNA get in here" cried Harry and Ginny in unison

Walking slowly in an almost casual manner, Luna entered the room and approached Harry and Ginny.

"Why have you chained Ginny to the wall" asked Luna in her usual dream like voice.

"What!? I … I haven't chained Ginny to the wall" said Harry exasperatedly "Alecto Carrow did this, she bound the chains so I can't get Ginny out of here"

"Well I suggest you let me look after Ginny while you go and look for Neville, I think he needs your help"

Harry stopped for a few seconds a tad stunned from the seemingly common-sense comment from Luna.

"Harry Go!" said Ginny

Harry only paused to give Ginny a brief intense kiss "I'm coming back Gin" before running to the door.

Harry paused briefly at the door to check the corridor was clear before stepping out and running in the direction that Neville had gone. He didn't look back as he was afraid he wouldn't be able to leave if he did. Getting to the end of the corridor Harry paused so he could check that the coast was clear before stepping out. Having no idea which direction Carrow and Neville had taken, Harry was forced to pause for a moment and try to hear sounds of the battle so it could lead him to it. Hearing what sounded like muffled bangs coming from the direction of the main stair well, Harry started running again. As he was clearly some distance from the fight, Harry threw caution to the wind and tore down several corridors without making sure they were clear first. He finally slowed when he came across a body lying on the floor in the middle of the corridor. Approaching quickly but with caution he turned the body over. He was presented with someone he had never seen before, a blond-haired man whose hair was cut short and he appeared to be about 35 years old. Looking round he saw some students stood in a door way.

"Who is this?" he asked

"Professor Base, the defence against the darks art teacher" replied a scared looking student

Harry sent a patronus off to Madam Pomfrey before turning back to the student "Do you know a levitation spell?" the student nodded "Try and use it to get your teacher inside the classroom then shut the door till a teacher arrives, if the spell doesn't work drag him in" said Harry quickly before heading off down the corridor again. Moving more cautiously as he was starting to see signs of a battle and could hear the battles noises a lot clearer than before.

Turning a final corner Harry had to stop suddenly as a spell flew past just inches from his face. Ducking into a corner Harry carefully looked around so he could assess the situation. He was on the seventh-floor landing of the main stair well. To his right was Neville, who was firing spell after spell straight past Harry and was so focused on what he was doing Harry wasn't even sure he had seen him. Directly across the stairway from Harry was Charlie who was firing spells into the same corner as Neville. Looking to his left was Carrow who had returned to her usual form, but looked decidedly odd wearing school robes. Carrow was seemingly trapped in a corner and was stuck using a pillar for protection and sending spells out whenever she could. At first glance Harry thought her spells were going wide as a result of her firing around a pillar. Harry though quickly realised she wasn't missing her intended targets, struggling to hit either Charlie or Neville themselves, she was firing spell after spell into the ceilings above both of them. Looking at the ceiling above Neville he didn't have long before it fell. Diving into an alcove so he had a clear line to Neville, He waited for Carrow to fire and dived out of the alcove straight at Neville while shouting "CHARLIE MOVE!" as he approached Neville he shoulder barged him backwards while turning and firing a shield spell at the ceiling. The Ceiling which had collapsed after Carrow's last shot and started to fall, was sent flying sideways from the force of Harry's shield spell. Neither Harry or Neville wasted any time and picked themselves up a headed towards the landings bannister.

"Thanks Harry" said Neville "where's Ginny?"

"Still in the room but with Luna" replied Harry "Can you see Charlie? Where are the teachers"

"I can't see Charlie, he shouted something earlier about them protecting students"

"BOY!" came Carrow's voice up the stairwell "I see you're not the coward I took you for, just a love-sick fool"

"Can you see her" whispered Harry to Neville, who shook his head "Give it up Carrow you can't win this"

"But I think I already have boy, seen your friend lately?"

Staying low Harry and Neville made their way around the landing, so they could look down to another landing. Harry could see that the ceiling where Charlie had been standing had collapsed, but he wasn't there. Moving further round Harry and Neville finally Carrow and Charlie. They were stood at the bottom of the next set of stairs. Charlie was stood still with his arms at his side and with no sign of his wand, Carrow was stood behind Charlie her left hand holding the back of his collar while her right hand pointed her wand at the back of Charlie's head. In the confusion of the falling ceiling Carrow had clearly been able to de-wand Charlie and was now using him as a human shield.

"I'm confused boy. Why are you trying to kill me?"

"What? Do you want the full list of reasons why we are trying to stop you?" replied Harry

"I really don't understand what your blood traitor girlfriend sees in you, you really are dumb. You need me alive boy. If I die the bound chains will kill your girlfriend"

Harry was filled with doubt for a moment, was Ginny wrong? Had Carrow lied to her and was now telling Harry the truth or was she lying now in an attempt to save herself and escape. Deciding to trust Ginny Harry decided to call her bluff.

"If that was true you would have told us earlier to stop us from firing spells at you and you would have told Ginny so she knew not to let you get hurt"

"So, your choosing to believe your delusional girlfriend who drove herself mad with the hope you would come running to save her. Fool!" screamed Carrow "You may be willing to play fast and loose with your girlfriend's life, but what about the lives of your whole family? She told you the Burrow was being watched. If the watchers don't hear off me soon they will kill your entire family, do you want their blood on your hands as well?"

Harry had no way of knowing if she was telling the truth or not, his only glimpse of hope was that she had admitted herself the letters were all part of a trap, so she may be bluffing again. Right now, his only concern was getting her wand off Charlie. Whispering to Neville, Harry said "Cover me" before quickly stepping out into the open. With his wand aimed straight at Charlie he slowly walked down the stairs. Carrow clearly hadn't expected him to step out into the open and eyed him suspiciously, before pulling on Charlie's collar and moving him backwards further down the landing.

Standing still at the bottom of the stairs Harry had to improvise to give himself time to think of a way out of this.

"How's your brother? Amycus wasn't it?"

Carrow continued to eye him suspiciously "Caught, Azkaban, as you probably know"

"I heard one of the death eaters turned traitor" said Harry

With Harry's last comment Carrow's wand moved. She briefly changed aim, taking her wand from Charlie's head to aim at Harry and back to Charlie. That brief movement told Harry all he needed to know to end this situation.

"Yeah, I heard someone turned traitor against the rest of you" Harry saw the brief change in aim again, knowing he was getting to her, he carried on "Made some sort of deal, not locked up in Azkaban, much better living conditions" Harry saw the change in aim again "You know what? I reckon it was Amycus, any coward who uses unforgivable's on children is bound to turn traitor!"

As Harry said "traitor" Carrow finally lost control, moved her aim and fired at Harry. Harry saw the spell coming but with Charlie still in the way Harry had only one option, yelling "Stupefy" Harry aimed straight at Charlie, while trying to dive out of the way of Carrow's spell. Unfortunately, he wasn't quick enough to avoid the spell completely so instead of being hit in the chest the spell clipped his left arm causing Harry to spin and land face down with his wand hand pinned beneath him. Trying to push himself up with his left arm, Harry discovered he couldn't, his arm was in searing pain and appeared to have no strength left in it.

As Harry was dealing with Carrow's spell, his spell had hit Charlie in the centre of his chest rendering him instantly unconscious and causing him to fall to the floor. Having lost her human shield, Carrow lost no time in moving towards Harry.

"Any last words before I end this boy?" said Carrow as she raised her wand hand "Avada…" she started. As she was talking Harry managed to drag his right hand and his wand out from under himself, flinging his arm forward Harry yelled "Expelliarmus" at the same time Neville arrived at the bottom of the stairs and yelled "Protego".

Harry's spell hit Carrow first causing her wand to fly out of her hand, before she could finish the killing curse. The force of Neville's spell caused her to stumble backwards. As she stumbled backwards she further tripped on a piece of fallen masonry, causing her to hit the bannister. Her momentum carried her over the edge of the banister and she fell, screaming six full floors to entrance hall at the bottom. Without her wand, she had no way to save herself and hit the stone floor of the entrance hall with a sickening crunch. Harry pulled himself up and looked over the edge, seeing the sight below he fell back onto the landing before being sick.

"Harry are you alright" asked Neville

"Yeah, I'm fine" replied Harry wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve "just do yourself a favour and don't look over the bannister, do you know how to wake Charlie up?"

Neville after taking a look in the direction of the bannister, nodded his head and went over to Charlie, before waking him up he carefully turned him over so he was on his back. Taking a small step backwards Neville took aim and said "Rennervate". Charlie opened his eyes before suddenly sitting bolt upright, taking a deep breath he clasped his hand to his chest were Harry's spell had hit him.

While Charlie was waking up Harry had pulled himself to his feet and was checking his left arm, he was relieved to discover he could now move his arm. It hurt to do so but it was nowhere near as painful as when he had first been hit.

Looking over at Charlie and Neville, he saw that Charlie was back on his feet as well.

"Sorry about stunning you Charlie, are you OK?" asked Harry

"I'm fine thanks, where's Carrow?"

"Dead, fell over the banister" replied Harry

"How's Ginny?" asked Charlie

"Filthy dirty and chained to a wall in the room of requirement when I last saw her. We'd better get back up there"

The three of them started back up the stairs to the seventh floor and back across the landing, carefully stepping around the fallen debris from where Carrow had been firing at the ceiling's above Neville and Charlie. Thankfully they didn't have to walk far as they came across Luna levitating a stretcher that had Ginny lying on it down a corridor towards the stairs.

Harry rushed over in a panic fearing Carrow had been telling the truth about the chains killing Ginny if she died.

"Luna what's wrong?" asked Harry "Why is she on a stretcher?"

"She's fine Harry" said Luna in her calm dream like voice "The chains disappeared a few minutes ago, Ginny tried to stand but, she is too weak to stand let alone walk. So, I conjured a stretcher to take her to the Hospital wing"

"Harry?" came Ginny's quiet voice.

"I'm here Gin, so's Neville and so's Charlie" said Harry bending over the stretcher

"Is she gone?"

"Yes, she's gone" said Harry "save your strength were taking you to the hospital wing"

"Will you let mum and dad know"

"Of course, I will"

"MUM! DAD! Harry our Family!" cried out Charlie suddenly.

"What?" said Harry suddenly confused

"Carrow said our family would be killed if her watchers didn't hear from her"

"That was a bluff surely?" asked Neville

"We can't take that chance" said Harry. Despite what he said though Harry was hesitating, not wanting to leave Ginny again.

"Harry go" came Ginny's quiet voice "I'm safe now, don't take any chances"

Leaning down to give her another kiss Harry whispered "I'm coming back"

"I know you are" said Ginny

Harry turned and headed back down the stairs, at the bottom of the first flight, Harry picked up the pace and started to run. He didn't need to look behind to know that Charlie and Neville were keeping pace behind him. Once they were on the ground floor and in the entrance hall, they didn't stop and headed straight for the main doors, they ran past the body of Alecto Carrow and straight past a shocked looking Professor McGonagall. All three of them ignored her shout of "POTTER!?" and kept on running. Once outside they headed for the driveway and kept on running. Harry was aware of his lungs burning and his left arm hurting but refused to let himself stop. Once they were out of the gates and outside of the school's protective wards all three of them apparated individually.

As Harry appeared at the Burrow the first thing he was aware of was an excruciating pain coming from his left arm causing him to cry out and grab his left arm with his right.

"Harry are you alright?" asked Neville

"I'm OK" said Harry breathing heavily "Get inside now!"

Bursting through the door they found the kitchen to be empty, charging through to the living room they found an extremely alarmed Arthur and Molly.

"Arthur where is everybody?" asked Harry

"Harry, what's going on" asked Arthur who had already pulled out his own wand on instinct.

"Where is everybody!?" insisted Harry

"Ron, Hermione and George are all upstairs. There is no one else home" replied Arthur

Harry suddenly found his vision blurring and had to shake his head in order to try and see straight "You two go upstairs and check every room" ordered Harry.

Once Neville and Charlie had raced upstairs, Harry found himself shaking his head again, struggling to clear his vision and was barely aware of Arthur shouting "Harry what is going on!"

"Death eater … Carrow … took Ginny … safe now … had to make sure family safe" Harry said these few short words as clearly as he could, his vision was starting to blacken and he could no longer clear it by shaking his head. The last thing he heard was Molly cry out "Arthur catch him, oh merlin he's bleeding badly" just before his head hit the carpet and he lost consciousness.


	19. Chapter 19 Hospital Wing & Magic Tricks

**Chapter 19 The Hospital Wing and Magic Tricks**

Consciousness came back slowly to Harry, he was aware of a mumbling of voices nearby, but couldn't make out what they were saying. He tried opening his eyes but the light was so bright it hurt his eyes at first, causing him to close them again. As time passed the mumbling became clearer, but still not clear enough to understand what was being said. Slowly opening his eyes, Harry was able to open them a fraction until they had so far adjusted to the light and the pain subsided. All he could see was brilliant white, a brilliant white that was familiar somehow. "Poppy he's coming around" he suddenly realised he could understand the mumbling. "wait a minute" he thought to himself "white roof, Poppy?" As his consciousness came back fully he realised he was in the hospital wing at Hogwarts. Blinking against the light he opened his eyes fully, lifting his head he looked around, he could see people stood around him but everything was blurred. Bringing a hand up to his face he realised his glasses had been removed.

"Keep still Harry" said a voice that sounded like Hermione's, something that looked vaguely like an arm reached across him and carefully put his glasses onto his face, at which point everything came into focus.

A quick glance confirmed to Harry he was lying in a bed in the hospital wing. Stood around his bed was the entire Weasley family, Hermione, Neville and Professor McGonagall.

"For heaven's sake people don't over crowd him, move out of the way, let the boy have some air" came a hidden but very familiar voice. Pushing her way through the crowd came the familiar site of Madam Pomfrey "Mr Potter I thought my days of treating your injuries were over, yet here you are again, I can only assume you are trying to make up for last year? You would have thought coming back from the dead would have been enough for most people! Now drink this" At which point the healer poured the contents of a small vial down Harry's throat. The potion burned Harry's throat as it went down causing him to cough.

"What was in that potion?" he asked

"It's a rejuvenation potion, it will help your body to replace the blood it lost, you're lucky Molly is such a capable healer, I can't think of anyone else outside of St Mungo's who could have handled such a situation, now lie there and let your body heal, I'll be back shortly" At that point the caring whirlwind that is Madam Pomfrey bustled off.

"It's nice to see you too Madam Pomfrey" said Harry under his breath.

"Harry, you should show more respect" admonished Molly

"With all due respect to Madam Pomfrey it can be a tad difficult at times as she can have the bed side manner of an express train" Harry replied

"A press rain?" asked Molly

"Never mind" said Harry "Where's Ginny, how is she?"

Ten pairs of eyes all turned to look to Harry's right. Turning his head to his right, Harry had to wait while Charlie and Neville stepped to the side so he could see. Ginny was asleep at this point and was lying in bed on her back with one arm down her side and the other across her chest. In the stark bright light of the Hospital wing Ginny's condition was made scarily obvious. Having been in the Hospital wing for some time now her body or at least what Harry could see of it had been cleaned. This if anything only highlighted how pale she was. In many ways she was unrecognisable, the once healthy figure was gone, in its place was a gaunt unhealthy form. Her cheeks had taken on a sunken appearance and the bones of her arms had started to become visible through the skin. Carrow had obviously done what she needed to keep Ginny alive and nothing more.

Not caring what Madam Pomfrey or anyone else said or thought at this point Harry threw back the covers of his bed, when he tried to sit up he discovered his left arm was still painful to use and was so wrapped in bandages it was rendered almost useless. Using his right arm to push himself up and moved his legs so they hung over the side of the bed, Harry forced himself into a sitting position on the edge of the bed. At this point half, the people around the bed were chastising Harry for trying to get out of bed, the other half who knew him better were keeping quiet while watching with concerned looks on their faces.

Harry forced himself onto his feet and took the 3 short steps to Ginny's bed, as he got there Harry, who was still weak from losing blood, half sat and half fell onto the edge of Ginny's bed, before repositioning himself further up the bed so he could reach her face. Cupping the side of her face in his hand Harry started to talk to the still sleeping Ginny,

"I'm sorry Gin, oh God I'm so sorry, this is all my fault" started Harry who could feel tears rapidly building up in eyes "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I failed you, I'm sorry I let you down" Harry's tears were starting to fall down face, not caring who saw them he let them fall.

"Harry what are you talking about?" someone who sounded like Arthur asked "You didn't let Ginny down, you saved her"

"TWO MONTHS" shouted Harry, half turning towards the others, his tears falling ever faster, he desperately tried to wipe his face with the back of his right hand to clear his vision "Two FUCKING months I've had everything I needed to figure out Ginny was in trouble sat in front of me and I was too blind to see it, too dumb to figure it all out"

At that Harry found himself bending over Ginny, his face buried in her shoulder, his right hand moved behind her head and his left hand was holding the hand that was across her chest. Sobbing uncontrollably the stress and worry of the last two months and the last twenty-four hours slowly working its way out of his system. No one spoke and no one moved, not knowing how to comfort someone with that sort of grief, or that sort of guilt, some had tears of their own falling down their cheeks.

As Harry half sat, half lay across Ginny's bed, a hand slowly crept up Harry's back, once it reached as close to his shoulder as it could go it gripped Harry's clothes as tightly as it could. "It's not your fault" said a voice in Harry's ear. At first Harry was still crying uncontrollably and didn't hear the voice "It's not your fault" repeated the voice.

"what?" said Harry lifting his head slightly

"It's not your fault"

Lifting his head further Harry looked down into the beautiful brown eyes of his Ginny, something Carrow hadn't been able to take from her.

"It's not your fault Harry"

"Ginny!" exclaimed Harry before wrapping both of his arms around her. "I'm sorry Gin I should have worked it out sooner"

"Harry, look at me" commanded Ginny with a steel edge to her voice. When Harry had turned to look at her she continued "Harry none of what has happened is your fault and you are not blaming yourself"

"But Gin" interrupted Harry

"No buts and don't interrupt" snapped Ginny with a flash of fire in her eyes "you heard Carrow the whole thing was a trap. A trap aimed at you so Carrow could avenge Voldemort and kill you. Now what do you think would have happened if you had figured out those hidden messages sooner than you did? Don't bother answering because I'm going to tell you. Knowing you Harry Potter you probably would have come charging into the room of requirement by yourself with no back up and found yourself having to fight Carrow alone. Now considering it took three of you to defeat her I think we can safely say she would have won and we would both be dead. Now I know I've spent two months chained to a wall, but with things happening the way they have, you arrived with Neville and Charlie and everyone survived"

Harry sat on the side of bed speechless, he knew that logically she was right, he had to admit to himself that she was right about him probably running into the room of requirement alone. Despite this part of him still wanted to argue with her, he couldn't shift the feeling of guilt about taking two months to figure it out. Harry however had seen the flash of fire in her eyes when he had interrupted her. Despite her current condition and the fact she would struggle to do something to him Harry had no desire to raise her famous temper any further. As he opened his mouth to speak, Ginny stopped him.

"Before you say anything Harry, let me say this, if you are going to argue with me don't bother just get back in your own bed. If you are going to accept I'm right don't speak, just come and sit here" said Ginny while indicating the space next to her, while shifting over as best as she could"

Harry stood up with a sheepish look on is face and sat down in the space next to Ginny. Putting his right arm around Ginny's shoulders, she leant into Harry with her head on his shoulder.

"Well now that has all been sorted" started Molly "Can I ask you one question Harry"

"Of course, always"

"Just what were you thinking apparating with an injury like that? Even if you had managed to apparate successfully the process had the same effect as splinching yourself"

"I wasn't thinking Molly, I was rushing to get home to make sure the family was alright"

"Be as that may be young man, I have half a mind to contact the ministry's apparation department and have your licence revoked"

"You'll struggle with that he hasn't got one" muttered Ron

Following Ron's comment there was a few seconds of silence, while Molly registered what Ron had said. Harry couldn't help but hope she hadn't heard him correctly, but it was obvious she had and was in all likely hood building up to an impressive outburst.

"What did you say Ron?" asked Molly

"Nothing Mum" said Ron with a look of fear in his eyes stepping backwards

"Don't "nothing mum" me young man, you said Harry doesn't have an apparation licence" seeing she wasn't going to get any more out of Ron she turned to Harry "Well do you have a licence?"

Harry knew there was no getting out of it so decided to go with the truth and get it over with, "No I haven't got a licence Molly, but its only because of one small detail"

"and what one small detail would that be?"

"I … er … well the thing is … I er … I never took the test" stammered Harry under Molly's intense glare

"Do you mean to say that you have been travelling up and down the country illegally for the last eighteen months and because I never thought to ask if you had a licence and allowed you to take Ginny side along my daughter has also been travelling illegally"

Before Harry could reply or Molly to vent her rapidly rising rage, Ginny lifted her head and spoke up.

"I've just realised something, I've never actually seen an apparation licence"

"Neither has Harry from the sound of it" called out George

Ginny ignored George and continued "Could you show me yours please Ron?"

Ron tried to Glare at Ginny without his mum seeing him, but having raised seven children there was no fooling Molly Weasley.

"What was that look for Ronald Weasley, show your sister your licence"

Now it was Ron's turn to stammer "Well … I … er … I … don't exactly have my licence with me"

"Would this be for the same small detail as Harry?" asked Molly

"No no it would be a completely different small detail" said Ron "I definitely took the test didn't I Hermione" Hermione said nothing but gave her boyfriend a look that clearly said "keep me out of this" Getting no help from Hermione, Ron evidently decided to take the same course as Harry "I took the test but failed as I lost half an eyebrow"

"RONALD BILIUS WEASLEY just when were you planning of obtaining your licence? And don't think of apparating anywhere until you do young man, it's floo network only until you do"

"MUM I CAN APPARATE JUST FINE!" yelled Ron "So can Harry, you may not have noticed but we were on the run for nine months"

"OF COURSE I NOTICED" Yelled Molly back at her son.

Though Harry was glad Molly's attention was on some one else for the moment, he felt like he should help Ron and calm the situation down. Before he could do anything though he became aware of a sudden sharp pain in his right arm. Ginny had put her head back on Harry's shoulder but was looking down, she also had hold of Harry's right arm, every time someone shouted she tensed, she was tensing up so much she was forcing her fingernails into Harry's arm. Realising that the shouting was unsettling her Harry decided it was time visiting hours came to an end.

"Gin, where is my coat? The one I placed over you in the Room of Requirement" asked Harry quietly enough so only Ginny could hear.

"Why are you worrying about that now?"

"You'll see, where is it?"

"I think Luna put it in the cabinet next to you"

Harry gave the room a quick glance and saw that everyone was focused on Ron and Molly's argument. Reaching over Harry pulled out his coat and removed his invisibility cloak from the pocket, and grabbed his wand from the top of the cabinet.

Leaning back into Ginny he whispered "want to see a magic trick?"

"What do you mean" asked Ginny

"I'm going to make our family disappear"

"I'll be impressed if you can" replied Ginny with a smile

"Bring you feet in closer, keep still and keep quiet" were Harry's only instructions

In a brief flurry of movement Harry improvised with a shield charm that he aimed through the family in the direction of the door, half a second before he threw the cloak over himself and Ginny. His shield spell wasn't strong but was enough to send Bill and George who were stood next to each other stumbling in opposite directions.

"What was that?" asked Bill

"No idea but it hit me too" said George

"I felt it too" said Percy

"I did as well" said Professor McGonagall

"Where are Harry and Ginny" cried out Hermione

Everyone who was currently in the Hospital wing turned to look at Ginny's bed where Harry and Ginny had suddenly disappeared from.

"His cloak!" said Ron "They must have got fed up with the shouting and ran out under his cloak"

"May I point out Ronald that you were doing most of the shouting" stated Hermione

"I'm not saying I wasn't. I'm just saying what's happened" replied Ron

"Neither of them is fit to be out of bed, get out there and look for them" cried Molly as she bustled the family out of the Hospital wing and back into the school to search for the young couple.

Once the noise of the Weasley family had faded into the distance, a puzzled looking Madam Pomfrey stepped out of her office and walked down to Ginny's bed where she stood for a few moments, looking back and forth between the bed and the door. Finally turning to the bed and fixing her stare onto it, she walked forward slowly with her right arm stretched outwards, as she got to the head of the bed she slowly bent down until her hand brushed against something she couldn't see that felt like cloth. Grasping the cloth in her hand she pulled backwards and was left holding a cloak made of a silvery material and was presented with two grinning teenagers sat on the bed in front of her.

Studying the cloak in her hand, Madam Pomfrey found herself having to suppress a smile.

"An impressive trick Mr Potter, though I don't think Molly Weasley will share that sentiment, may I ask where you got this cloak from?"

"It was my father's"

"Really? Well that could certainly help explain a few things that happened while your father was here as a student" said Madam Pomfrey carefully putting the cloak back into the bedside cabinet with his coat "Now Mr Potter as much as I appreciate you clearing out my hospital wing I must insist you get back into bed, both of you need to rest"

"Please Madam Pomfrey can we have a bit longer we haven't seen each other for two months" asked Ginny

Madam Pomfrey looked towards Ginny with the intent of refusing her request, but stopped short when she saw the pleading look in Ginny's eyes that was coupled with something else she couldn't quite place.

"Hmm, as you cleared everyone out of here while having the common sense to stay here yourselves, perhaps a compromise is in order. Come and stand here a moment Mr Potter"

Puzzled Harry did as he was asked and stood next to Madam Pomfrey, who withdrew her wand and without speaking used her wand to levitate the bedside cabinet out from between the two beds, then moved Harry's bed over so it was next to Ginny's before replacing the Bedside Cabinet next to Harry's bed. Turning she pointed her wand at a storage cupboard and a series of blinds flew across the room before unfolding and settling around the two beds. Harry fully appreciating the unexpected gesture from Madam Pomfrey didn't need further instructions, he stepped behind the blinds and climbed into his bed, while Ginny moved across her own bed as to be closer to Harry.

"Thank you" said Harry

"Yes thank you Madam Pomfrey" said Ginny

"You can thank me by staying in your beds, I'll be back in a bit with some more rejuvenation potion for both of you"

Harry rolled onto his right side so he could look at Ginny while talking to her, Ginny in turn rolled onto her left side so she could see Harry.

"Well that was unexpected" said Ginny

"Yeah, I know, perhaps she isn't as bad as we may have thought"

There was a few moments of silence between the two, before Ginny spoke up again.

"When you said you were coming back I didn't imagine you being brought in bleeding and lying unconscious on a stretcher"

"You saw that?" asked Harry

"Yes, they rushed you in just after Madam Pomfrey had forced me to drink a sleeping draft, I would have been awake when you came round otherwise, seeing that before falling asleep caused some horrible dreams" revealed Ginny

Being unable to move his left arm properly due to the bandages, Harry reached out as best as he could with his right arm, Ginny followed suit so they could hold hands.

"I'm sorry you had to see that Gin, especially on top of everything else, but before you banish me across the room I want you to know I'm not blaming myself, I just wish none of this had happened" said Harry

Ginny gave a small smile at Harry's banish comment. "Me too Harry, but happened it has, as I said we've come through it alive and we've got each other and our family and friends to help us get through the after effects"

Thinking it was time to change the subject Harry said "Speaking of family do you think they will be upset to find out I sent them on a wild goose chase?"

"Yes" said Ginny giggling "but under the circumstances I think they will forgive us, mum might take a while though"

"I wonder what they will say if we ask them how they intended to find someone who was hiding under an invisibility cloak" said Harry

At that point they both started laughing. To an observer their laughter may have seen to be over the top for Harry's seemingly childish comment, not to mention out of place considering what had happened to them both. But for them it was the release they needed, something to help them get past what had happened to them.

Harry couldn't help but notice that the laughter put a sparkle back in Ginny's eyes which helped to bring back some of Ginny's natural beauty. Harry swore to himself he would do whatever he had to do to keep that smile on her face.

As their laughter died down Harry saw how tired Ginny was looking, shortly before he realised how tired he was himself. Having fallen silent from their outburst of laughter they both soon fell asleep, still holding each others hands.

A short while later a worried looking and somewhat dishevelled Molly Weasley returned to the Hospital wing looking for a quiet place to sit down and to inform her friend of the fruitless search around the castle for the "missing" couple.

"I don't know where they've got to Poppy I really don't, though with that cloak of his, we could be stood right next to them and we would never know" Said Molly, though this was said more to herself than anyone else. Madam Pomfrey however was stood in the doorway of her office smiling at her friend, waiting for the moment of realisation.

"I never thought either of them could be so irresponsible, they aren't fit to be out of bed let alone wondering around…." Molly stopped mid rant having finally seen the blinds that were in place around where Harry and Ginny's beds were. Walking over to the blinds, Molly carefully pulled the nearest one to one side so she could see behind and revealed the "missing" couple fast asleep in their beds still holding hands.

"They make a lovely couple, don't they Molly?" asked Madam Pomfrey who had walked up to the blinds and was smiling at her friend.

"They do" said Molly slowly "When did they get back here?"

Madam Pomfrey who was no longer able to contain herself was visibly laughing.

"What's so funny Poppy?" asked Molly

"Molly they never left" replied Madam Pomfrey with a smile on her face.

"What?" said Molly completely puzzled

"Molly Weasley I'm surprised at you, in all the years I've known you. I have never known you to have been so completely taken in, so completely fooled and by a pair of teenagers at that"

"What are you getting at Poppy"

"Harry saw that the shouting was upsetting Ginny, I think he used a shield charm to make people think they had just barged through the family while under his cloak, slightly before throwing his cloak over the pair of them. They sat there on Ginny's bed grinning while the rest of you charged into the castle looking for them"

Molly for once in her life was left completely speechless.

"I know in many way's I should have let people know they were still here but I decided that their undisturbed rest was more important"

"When did they reveal themselves" asked Molly

"They didn't" answered Madam Pomfrey "I managed to figure out where they were as I realised one thing the rest of you didn't"

"What's that?"

"The door never opened" stated Madam Pomfrey

"What?" asked Molly as realisation seemed to be finally coming to her.

"In order for them to leave the Hospital wing they would have needed to have opened the door. But that door never moved until you and your family burst through it looking for them.

Molly was quiet for some time as the full realisation of how easily Harry had fooled her and the rest of the family came to her. However she didn't fail to notice that he had done it for Ginny. In all honesty she didn't believe he would have done it for any other reason.

"There's one thing that is still puzzling me" said Molly speaking finally

"What's that Molly?"

"Why have you put their beds together?"

"Who says I'm the one who put them together?" said Madam Pomfrey trying for an air of innocence.

"I may have been taken in by a pair of teenagers today Poppy, but I've known you as long as you have known me and I know there is no way those beds would be together unless you deemed it acceptable"

"Yes well" began Madam Pomfrey slowly "as the head healer here at Hogwarts I am allowed to do what ever I deem necessary to heal my patients. When I ordered Harry back to his bed, Ginny asked for more time with him. I was going to refuse but there was something that made me stop"

"She had a look in her eyes that seemed to say give her Harry and everything else would heal itself" said Molly

"That's it Molly, I've been struggling to put it into words but that's it" said Madam Pomfrey "I take it you have seen it yourself?"

"A few times, the first was just after the battle, when she stood guard outside Harry's dorm, I didn't realise what it meant then but I've seen it a few times since, what does this mean for the two of them Poppy?"

"I don't know Molly, I'll try and do some research for you, in the mean time I wouldn't worry it doesn't appear to be having an adverse negative effect on them"


	20. Chapter 20 Going HOme

_AN - Once again I want to say thanks to mdauben, Iwik, JD4320, civilwarrose and guest for your comments and reviews as always they are greatly appreaciated._

 _I've pretty much reached the end of my prewritten chapters at this point so it might be a short while before i post the next chapter. I've come to realise chapter 21 needs a slight rewrite while chapters 22 and 23 are not quite finished just yet._

 _Thanks for sticking with me and i will get the next chapter up as soon as possible_

 **Chapter 20 Going Home**

The following morning Harry awoke to find Ginny already awake and smiling at him and still holding his hand.

"Morning beautiful, how are you felling today?" asked Harry

"Morning handsome, still feeling weak but better than yesterday, though I suppose sleeping for twelve hours on a proper bed might have something to do with that" answered Ginny

"I suppose it might" said Harry not wanting to bring up the last two months just yet "what time is it?"

"Around eight, I should warn you Madam Pomfrey has a bottle of rejuvenation potion with your name on it"

Pulling his face at the thought of drinking the fowl tasting liquid, Harry glanced over at the bedside cabinet, "I wonder if yesterday's trick would work again?"

"Don't you dare Harry, if you disappear again she will move our beds to opposite ends of the room, besides if I've got to take that horrible stuff so have you" said Ginny

"You should listen to your girlfriend Mr Potter" came the voice of Madam Pomfrey

"I always do, I know better than to ignite that fiery temper of hers" replied Harry with a grin.

"Madam Pomfrey would you say I'm strong enough to perform a bat bogey hex on my idiot boyfriend" asked Ginny with a smile on her face

"Certainly not Miss Weasley, though if you teach me the incantation I will consider performing it for you" replied Madam Pomfrey "Now drink this Mr Potter" before Harry could object she had pressed a vial to his lips and poured the contents down his throat "now if you two would like to sit up I have your breakfast's here for you"

Once they were sat up Madam Pomfrey presented them each with a plate of food that contained enough food for at least two people. "I believe your parents will be here soon Miss Weasley" said Madam Pomfrey before leaving them to their breakfasts.

Ginny didn't say anything before digging into her breakfast, with such gusto and speed harry was shocked into watching her in silence for a few moments. Ginny eventually saw him watching her and stopped.

"What?" she asked

"I don't think I've ever seen you eat quite like that before" said Harry

"Well I haven't exactly been eating regular meals lately"

"Oh god Gin I'm sorry I didn't think" said Harry

Ginny paused briefly before shrugging her shoulders "Like I said its not your fault, now eat up you'll feel better"

"That's my line" said Harry digging into his breakfast.

By the time Harry had struggled to eat his way through half of his breakfast, Ginny had finished hers and was eyeing Harry's remaining breakfast hungrily. "Are you going to finish that?" asked Ginny

Seeing the hungry look in her eyes, Harry just shook his head while smiling and handed the plate over. Ginny dived in again and was finishing Harry's breakfast as Arthur and Molly turned up.

"Bit late for breakfast isn't it" commented Arthur with a smile

Taking advantage of Ginny's mouth being full Harry spoke up "Actually we started breakfast at a sensible time, but Ginny decided that one breakfast wasn't enough. So she stole mine" finished Harry winking at Arthur

"Now Ginny, I know you may be hungry but you shouldn't be stealing Harry's breakfast, he needs to build his strength back up as well" teased Arthur

"Harry you've never been hit by my Bat Bogey Hex have you?" asked Ginny smiling sweetly, Harry shook his head slowly, "Well carry on and we'll see what happens"

Smiling at Ginny's comment Harry turned to Molly and Arthur "I'm sorry about yesterday, I realise I sent you all on a wild goose chase around the castle, I only did it because the shouting seemed to be affecting Ginny. I promise I wont apparate anywhere until I am fit and have a licence"

Arthur nodded his head in agreement, however Molly didn't seem to be satisfied quite so easily.

"I appreciate the sentiment Harry, but where is it?"

"Where's what Molly" asked Harry

"Your cloak"

"In the bedside cabinet, why?"

Molly moved over to the bedside cabinet and removed Harry's invisibility cloak, "you can consider this confiscated until you are BOTH considered fit and healthy"

"Mum you cant do that it is a family heirloom of Harry's" stated Ginny

"As its a family heirloom Molly has every right to confiscate it" stated Harry

Ginny looked at him confused "What are you on about?"

"Didn't you hit me around the head once for thinking you weren't my family?" asked Harry

"In that case why did you move out of the Burrow?" asked Arthur

"You moved out of the Burrow?" asked Ginny

"I … I got it wrong, not all of the letters from Ginny or rather Carrow, particularly some later ones, contained hidden messages. Some were simply "get out of your family" or "get out of my life". Carrow wanted me to suffer before killing me and it would seem I fell into that part of the trap far too easily, having Grimmauld place made it far too easy to walk away"

With Harry's answer Ginny moved over as far as she could and pulled Harry into herself "You have always been part of this family and always will be"

"Ginny is right Harry, as confusing as the last two months have been, You have always been and always will be part of this family" stated Arthur

"I'm sorry I should have known better than to doubt where I belonged" said Harry

"Well as you are finally seeing sense, we didn't think you would mind" said Arthur

"Mind what?" asked Harry confused

"We've started moving you back into the Burrow dear" explained Molly "though trying to convince your house elf we were doing something you would want and was best for you was a job in itself"

Harry for a moment was speechless, "Thank you"

"Aside from the fact we thought it was what you would want, it would also be more practical" said Molly

"What do you mean Mum?" asked Ginny

"Once you are fit to travel Madam Pomfrey is planning on releasing you both into my care, it will be far easier to look after you both if you are both at the Burrow".

"What about school?"

"Professor McGonnagal has agreed that you should be allowed home to recuperate and heal before hopefully returning in January"

"Hopefully?" said Ginny

"It has been acknowledged by Professor McGonnagal and the school board that you might not want to return after what has happened" said Arthur "Professor McGonnagel has also said if you don't want to return she will do whatever she can to help you finish your education"

"Do you want to come back?" asked Molly

"I … I don't know" said Ginny quietly "It's too soon to make that decision, right now I just want to go home and get fit again"

"Well you don't have to decide now, in the mean time we had better be getting home so we can finish moving Harry back into Burrow" said Arthur

Later that day Kingsley arrived along with an Auror, to discuss what had happened and to take their statement's.

"I'm sorry to see the two of you like this" said Kingsley in his deep voice "I had hoped there wouldn't be any repercussions after the defeat of Voldemort" as he spoke the Auror who had accompanied him sat writing everything down. "Normally the Minister of Magic wouldn't do these interviews himself but I thought it best it was conducted by someone you trusted, so I overruled a few people's objections and came here myself"

Neither Harry or Ginny had any objections to Kingsley interviewing them and allowed him to lead the questioning with no objections. Starting with Ginny he slowly and carefully questioned Ginny about the last two months, starting with when and how she was taken.

"The last thing I can remember before waking up in the room of requirement, was walking down a corridor heading towards the Gryffindor common room. I was alone and had just finished a patrol around the school. I didn't feel unsafe and I was tired, so I wasn't really paying attention and allowing my feet to guide me to bed. I didn't see anyone or any sign of a spell being used so presumably they attacked from behind. Next thing I knew I was chained to a wall in the room of requirement" explained Ginny

"Do you have any idea how Carrow got into the school?" asked Harry

"I'm afraid not" replied Kingsley "If I am honest that is causing us some concern at the moment.

After Ginny's story Kingsley had Harry lead them through his side of the story, starting with the letters from Carrow pretending to be Ginny and finishing with Harry, Neville and Charlie rushing to the Burrow.

As Kingsley's questions came to an end Harry realised he had a couple of questions for Kingsley.

"Kingsley would you mind if I asked you a couple of questions?" asked Harry

"Not at all" replied Kingsley

"OK First of all, why weren't we warned that Alecto Carrow was loose and had escaped custody, if we had known we might have been able to take some extra precautions"

At this Kingsley hesitated before answering "I'm sorry Harry but we made a mistake. With Ginny being at Hogwarts and you being protected we didn't think she would be able to go after either of you. Baring that in mind we thought she would be more likely to reveal herself if we seemingly did nothing at first and allowed her to gain some confidence to act. The only thing we know for sure is she must have had an accomplice as she couldn't have escaped from Azkaban alone and neither could she have infiltrated Hogwarts without help"

"So basically you fucked up" was Harry's response

"Harry!" said Ginny somewhat sharply

"I'm sorry Gin, I don't expect or want to be told every day details concerning the ministry, but when one of Voldemort's supporters escapes prison I expect to be told"

"I'm sorry Harry you should have been informed. What was your second question" said Kingsley

"Both you and Carrow have made comments referring to me being protected, would you care to explain?"

At this point Kingsley hesitated before answering again "I'm sorry Harry but I was concerned there might be some form of retribution against you. So since the end of the battle I have had at least two Auror's following your movement's to the best of their abilities"

"Did it never occur to you that they might go after some one I cared about?" asked Harry

"Yes it did but we don't have unlimited resources so we could only cover you" answered Kingsley

"From now on Kingsley you either protect all of us or none of us. I wont be held higher than any member of my family"

With Harry's last comment Kingsley chose to leave and took the Auror with him.

Harry and Ginny ended up spending three days in the Hospital wing before Madam Pomfry declared them fit enough to travel to the Burrow. But even then neither of them were allowed to apparate, as Harry's arm wasn't fully healed and Ginny wasn't deemed strong enough to be taken side along.

The morning they were due to leave, Molly and Arthur came to Hogwarts to escort them home, they were going to travel by Floo powder to the Burrow by using the fireplace in the headmistresses office. Molly was bustling around making sure everyone knew the plan on how they were getting back.

"Now do you all understand the plan?"

"Yes mum" droned Ginny who was looking tired as well as fed up.

"I'm going through first" said Molly

"Yes mum"

"Ron, George and Hermione are waiting at the Burrow to help in case someone stumbles or something go's wrong"

"Yes mum"

"Harry you are to come next"

"Yes mum"

"Then Arthur and Ginny will travel together"

"Yes mum"

"and watch your tone young lady"

"YES mum can we get going please"

"We are doing are you ready Harry?"

"Yes Mum" replied Harry mimicking Ginny's tone.

Molly walked over to the fireplace and took a pinch of floo powder, before stopping and turning to look at Harry with a puzzled look on her face.

"What did you say Harry?"

"I said yes Molly" replied Harry smiling

Molly continued to look at Harry with a puzzled expression on her face for a moment before turning back to the fireplace and throwing the powder in the fireplace, stepping into the fireplace and the green flames, she called out "The Burrow" and was gone.

"Don't you think you're a bit weak to be playing with fire son?" asked Arthur

"Couldn't help myself" explained Harry. Giving Ginny's hand a quick squeeze he said "see you back home" and stepped towards the fireplace.

"Dad can't I travel with Harry?" asked Ginny

"I think we had better stick to your mothers plan Ginny, If she doesn't shout at you she'll definitely shout at me for letting you do it" replied Arthur

"Plus with my arm in a sling I couldn't steady you if something went wrong" said Harry "Well be home before you know it"

Harry took a pinch of powder and flooed home. Landing in the fire grate at the Burrow harry stumbled, having his arm in a sling he struggled to balance properly till strong hands grabbed him from either side.

"We gotcha mate don't worry" said Ron who was on his left. A quick glance showed George on his right. They quickly moved him away from the fireplace and over to the settee where he sat down gratefully. He had been feeling fine while standing in the headmistresses office, but now he was feeling tired. He was surprised by how much the trip through the floo network had seemingly taken out of him.

Hearing a woosh from the fire, Harry looked up in time to see Arthur and Ginny step out of fireplace. The journey through the floo network had obviously had the same effect on Ginny as it had on Harry, but as Ginny had been looking tired before her trip through the floo, the effect was more pronounced and she had lost some of the colour in her face that she had regained.

Arthur guided her over to the settee and sat her next to Harry. Leaning into Harry, Ginny lay her head on his chest and closed her eyes. Molly stepped forward and started waving her wand over the pair of them, checking for problems that may have arisen during travel.

Looking down at her Harry asked "Are you OK?"

"Yeah just feeling very tired" answered Ginny

"That was to be expected" said Molly "Though better than you were you are both still weak and the trip through the Floo network has taken a lot out of both of you"

"In that case wake us when lunch is ready" said Harry leaning back into the settee's cushions and closing his eyes allowing sleep to take him.

Harry awoke to the smell of food, as good as the food at Hogwarts was there was something about Molly's cooking at the Burrow that always awoke Harry's senses, Harry had always assumed it was something to do with home cooked food at home. Looking down he saw that Ginny hadn't moved and was still lying against him sound asleep and that someone had wrapped a blanket around the two of them. Almost as if she sensed him waking up, Molly came out of the kitchen and came over to him.

"How are you feeling?" asked Molly quietly

"Better but hungry" answered Harry "What's for lunch?" asked Harry

"Harry lunch was four and a half hours ago" said Molly

"What?" asked Harry stunned

"It's half past four Harry you've been asleep for six hours"

If anything it was Molly's statement that woke Harry up more than anything, it made him realise how badly he had injured himself.

"I er … I think I have more to learn about apparation" said Harry slowly

"Maybe" said Molly "With you two missing lunch I thought I would aim for an early dinner tonight so it wont be long, why don't you try waking Ginny?" before wondering back to the kitchen.

Looking down at his girlfriend Harry was filled with a mixture of emotions, part of him was filled with anger because of what she had had to endure in the last year, particularly the last two months. Another part of him was filled with fear of what might have been, how easily he could have lost her and how easily she could have lost him. But mostly he was filled with pride at the fact that this beautiful girl had allowed him to fall in love with her and had fallen in love with him, though a small part of him was still confused as to why he deserved her.

"Gin" he said quietly to no response

"GIN" he said louder but still got no response.

With his right hand pinned under Ginny he stroked her face as best as he could with his left hand. "Gin its time to wake up"

Stroking her face brought a reaction but she shook her face and settled back down instantly. Deciding to go with the flow Harry started to gently stroke Ginny's face back and forth, each stroke caused her to shake her face before attempting to settle back down.

"Gin dinner's ready" said Harry. At this Ginny lifted her head before putting it back down, Harry continued stroking her face for a few moment's before saying "Ginevra Molly Weasley if you don't wake up right now I'll give your dinner to Ron" This caused her to suddenly sit upright while looking around the room with bleary eyes, utterly confused as to where she was. Finally her eyes came upon Harry and with complete confusion in her voice she finally said "Wha?"

Despite the fact that the red haired beauty was still mostly leaning against him and despite the fact that she had a known fiery temper, Harry couldn't help but laugh. Her sudden sitting up at the mention of food had reminded him of Ron, clearly the two younger Weasley siblings had more in common than they realised.

"Wha you laugh about?" said Ginny clearly not fully awake yet.

"Molly I think we need a cup of strong tea in here please" called out Harry still chuckling. "Just take a moment to wake up"

"What? Why are we here"? Asked Ginny as her mother came into the room with a cup of tea.

"Here Ginny dear, sip on this and you will soon wake up" said Molly

Fifteen minutes and a cup of tea later Ginny was more awake. "Feeling better?" asked Harry

"Yes thanks. Why did you wake me?"

"We missed lunch and dinner is nearly ready"

"The rest of the family is eating in the kitchen I'll bring your dinners through in a min" said Molly

"NO!" exclaimed Ginny somewhat sharply and with a sudden look of panic in her eyes

Taking her hand in his Harry looked at Ginny with some concern "Gin what's wrong?" he asked softly.

"I've been cut off from everyone for two months, I'm not being cut off again" said Ginny the look of panic still etched on her face

Harry glanced up at Molly briefly and saw the expected look of concern and shock, "Gin you wont be cut off, I'll be here having Dinner with you and the rest of the family will be just through that open door"

Hearing Harry say he was staying with her calmed Ginny down but she still wasn't entirely happy, taking a deep breath she said "I … I need to be around people right now"

Realising she was suffering a side effect of her imprisonment by Carrow and needed to be reassured, Harry stood up and offered Ginny his right hand "Well lets take a slow walk into the kitchen then"

Taking his hand, Ginny with some help pulled herself to her feet. At first she stood there a little shakily, before taking grip of Harry's arm and together they moved towards the kitchen.

"Look who's joining us for dinner" called out Molly as they approached the Kitchen door.

Stepping into the Kitchen Harry and Ginny were a bit surprised to see the whole family there sat around the already overcrowded kitchen table. Seeing them come into the kitchen Arthur stood and withdrew his wand and called out "Stand back everyone looks like we are going to have to extend the table" As Arthur was extending the table, Bill stood and conjured two extra chairs. Everyone shuffled round to make room.

Pulling Ginny into a hug Bill said "You should be resting" before helping her to sit down.

Sitting down next to Ginny, Harry said "We were resting but Ginny was concerned Ron would eat all of the food before we got any"

"Hey!" exclaimed Ron with a smile

Soon enough both of their plates were full with a mountain of food, Harry's protests that Molly was giving him too much were simply ignored. Picking up his knife and fork while wondering how he was going to eat all of the food piled on his plate, Harry glanced sideways at Ginny. Ginny seemingly didn't have a problem with the amount of food and was digging into her dinner with the same speed and gusto she had demonstrated in the hospital wing. Having seeing her eat like this for three days Harry smiled and started eating. A few minutes later he realised that the kitchen was far too quiet for a Weasley family meal, looking around at the gathered family Harry realised they were all watching Ginny eat her dinner with the same shocked look on every face. Eventually Ginny noticed the silence and looked round before asking "What?"

"Sorry Ginny" said Bill "but I don't think any of us have seen you eat quite like that before. If I didn't know better I'd say you had been possessed by the spirit of Ron" he finished with a small smile.

Ginny looked down at the table and took a deep breath before replying "As I said to Harry the other day, I haven't exactly been eating regular meals recently" She then looked around the table at each family member as if challenging them to comment further. When no one said anything Ginny continued eating, but at a noticeably slower pace than before. Thankfully no one said anything else about Ginny's eating habits and dinner returned to that of a normal Weasley family meal.

As the dinner was drawing to a close, Ginny who had been smiling brightly and chatting with her brother Bill, suddenly stopped and stared across the kitchen to where the owl stand stood in a corner. On the stand were three owl's, the family owl Errol, Ron's Pigwidgeon and Harry's Ginevra. "Who's Owl is that?" she asked while pointing across the room.

"Surely having grown up here you should recognise Errol?" asked Harry teasing her.

Picking up on Harry's teasing Ron added "and I think Pig would be offended if you didn't recognise him considering you named him"

Ginny glanced at both of them briefly before continuing "As you both very well know I was referring to the third owl that is stood there"

Smiling at her, Harry stood up and walked around the room to the owl stand and held out his right arm in front of Ginevra "Hey girl" he said softly "I've got someone here I'd like you to meet" The owl showing something of a stubborn streak refused to move at first "Come on girl, I know I should have come over sooner I'm sorry" at that the bird finally hoped onto his arm. As he walked back around the table Harry started talking to Ginny "Now I should explain Gin that this owl does seem to share a stubborn streak with its namesake" As he approached Ginny, Ginevra gave a flutter of wings and landed on Ginny's shoulder.

"Stubborn streak you say? What's her name?" asked Ginny

"Gin meet Ginevra" said Harry

Ginny who had been stroking the owls chest paused before asking "Why Ginevra?"

"I'm sorry if you don't like it, you'll have to blame either Carrow or Ron and his bottle of Fire Whiskey or possibly both" Ginny didn't speak but raised her eyebrows silently asking for an explanation. "I bought her so I could send letters to you after Carrow made me think we had broken up, I couldn't think of a name and spent two weeks using her to send letters to you or rather Carrow without naming her. At that point I was already living at Grimmauld Place, Ron turned up one night with a bottle of fire whiskey. After a couple of drinks I ended up naming her after you and the name stuck"

Ginny turned back to Ginevra who was still on her shoulder and continued with stroking her chest "You have a stubborn streak?" she asked the owl which cooed and bobbed its head as if answering Ginny's question "we should get along well, one thing I've learnt is you need to have a stubborn streak to deal with certain people round here" Ginevra responded with another bob of her head.


	21. Chp 21 Nightmares & a Early Xmas Present

**Chapter 21 Nightmares and an Early Christmas Present**

Harry went to bed that night having resigned himself to the fact that Ginevra was now more Ginny's than she had ever been his and he briefly wondered if he would have to buy himself another owl.

Thankfully the only person who was staying over was Charlie so Harry was able to sleep in his room, the same room he had when he had before he moved into Grimmauld place, without having to share.

Despite having slept for six hours during the day Harry found he was feeling tired and once he had finished struggling to get into some pyjamas thanks to his injured arm he was able to easily fall into a deep sleep.

Harry woke up to find someone shaking his shoulders. Having been in a deep sleep it took him a few moments to realise he was being spoken to.

"Harry mate you need to wake up!" said Ron

"What's going on?" asked Harry while putting his glasses on.

"Its Ginny, she's screaming in her sleep and mum cant wake her"

At that Harry was up and out of bed, suddenly wide awake he rushed out of his bedroom heading straight to Ginny's room with Ron close behind. Running into Ginny's room he found everyone who were currently staying at the Burrow inside. Molly and Arthur were stood either side of the bed and everyone else was stood back against the walls, presumably ordered there by Molly. Ginny was lying on her bed, asleep but clearly suffering from a nightmare, her head was turning back and forth from side to side and her legs were kicking out. As he approached Arthur stood to one side so he could get closer to Ginny.

"I'm sorry for waking you Harry" said Molly "Its like last year only worse, she wont settle down or wake up"

"It's alright Molly" replied Harry as Ginny started to cry out in her sleep.

"Harry … Carrow … Harry NO!"

Taking Ginny's right hand in his left hand and cupping her face with his right hand, Harry leant forward to speak to her.

"Gin its me I'm fine, I'm safe, we are both home at the Burrow" Harry said softly.

Upon hearing his voice Ginny visibly relaxed but didn't wake up, Harry noticed she was suddenly gripping his hand tightly. Squeezing her hand in return trying to give her some added support he carried on saying soothing calm words to her. Eventually Ginny stopped thrashing around on her bed completely and turned onto her side, while still holding onto Harry's hand. Despite being asleep she was holding onto Harry's hand so tightly he couldn't let go of her hand and ended up being stuck leaning over her somewhat awkwardly.

"Err I appear to be stuck. She wont let go of my hand" said Harry, who was all to aware of his current position and the fact that Ginny's parents were next to the bed and watching them.

"Harry did Ginny have any nightmares while you were in the Hospital wing?" asked Molly

"She said she had some horrid dreams having seen me being rushed in just after taking a sleeping draft, but nothing like this"

Molly sat observing Harry and Ginny for a moment seemingly deep in thought "Your beds had been put together hadn't they?" Molly finally asked.

"Yeah and we went to sleep each night holding hands" replied Harry realising where Molly was going with her line of thinking.

At first Molly was quiet and simply nodded her head before speaking again "I think it would be best if you stay in here tonight, that way everyone should get an undisturbed sleep and tomorrow we will try and think up a different solution"

Harry nodded his head in agreement and said "Thanks Molly" before turning to the task of trying to get Ginny to hold his other hand, so he could lie in a comfortable position to sleep. While he was doing this the rest of the family started filing out of Ginny's bedroom, George was the last to leave, having stood in the doorway watching Harry and Ginny with a thoughtful expression on his face, which was missed by everyone.

Having almost painfully managed to get Ginny to let go of his left hand and take his right hand Harry was able to lie on his side up against Ginny with his right arm wrapped around her. The last to leave Ginny's room was Molly who stopped to pick up Ginny's quilt and place it over both of them.

The next morning Harry woke first and discovered they had changed position during the night and were now lying in their chosen position from before with Harry on his back with Ginny lying on her side next to him with her head on his chest.

Looking down at Ginny, Harry could see she was starting to wake up. As she opened her eyes and lifted her head Harry spoke.

"Morning Gin"

"Morning Harry" came Ginny's sleepy reply before putting her head back down on his chest. Harry lay there smiling waiting for the moment of realisation to hit. Suddenly Ginny sat bolt upright and turned to Harry.

"Harry?"

"Yes Gin"

"Harry?!"

"Yes Gin"

"Harry you're"?"

"Yes Gin"

"Harry you're in my bed"

"Yes Gin"

"Why are you in my bed? I might have been tired last night but I definitely remember going to bed alone"

"Don't you want me in your bed?" asked Harry grinning "I can get out and leave if you want?"

Ginny responded by hitting Harry in his side "Stop being an arse and answer the question"

"I thought you would be lonely" replied Harry grinning

"Be serious Harry" said Ginny glaring at him with fire in her eyes.

"Ok Ok I'm sorry I was getting carried away, Last night I was woken up and called in here as you were having a nightmare you couldn't wake up from. You were screaming out in your sleep and had woken everyone else up. You didn't calm down until after I came in, held your hand and spoke to you"

"Oh" said Ginny quietly "but why did you stay in here? Didn't mum send you back to your bed?"

"You wouldn't let go of my hand, so your mum said I should stay here so everyone would get a decent nights sleep"

Looking at her Harry could see the beginnings of tears in her eyes "Gin you've done nothing wrong, nothing to be ashamed of, It's as you said in the hospital wing, we've got each other and our family to help us through any after effects"

Ginny silently nodded before lying back down and putting her head on Harry's chest again.

"Harry please don't take this the wrong way, I'm glad your here to help me but I want to be able to sleep without you"

"That I understand" replied Harry "we will think of something"

As it turned out Harry and Ginny didn't need to think of a solution, as they were waking up a conversation was taking place downstairs.

"Are you sure George?" asked Molly

"Yes I am. I don't need it, it will help Ginny and Harry and it will help me as well" answered George "If possible I would like to surprise them with it"

"That maybe easier said than done son" said Arthur "They aren't exactly fit to be leaving the Burrow for any length of time"

"Leave that to me" said Molly "I've got an idea on how to get them out of the house, you two speak to everyone else we are going to need the whole family to help, right now I need to floo someone"

Molly spent the rest of the day quietly preparing Harry and Ginny for the following day, by forcing extra rejuvenation potions and even bigger meals than before into them while making sure they spent the rest of the day relaxing, before dropping a "staged bombshell" on them.

"Harry dear I'm afraid I've got a problem that needs your attention" said Molly

"What's that Molly?"

"I've had Andromeda Tonks contacting me, she wants to know if or when you will be able to go see Teddy"

Harry paused briefly as Molly's words registered with him. "OH no, how did I manage to completely forget about him. Mrs Tonks must be mad with me"

"It's alright Harry, Andromeda isn't mad with you" explained Molly calmly "She contacted me shortly after the battle, we agreed it would be best to let you have some time to rest and relax before reminding you of your godfather duties. We were going to let you know sooner but this recent situation, messed that up"

"Oh" said Harry

"Your not mad are you? We thought it would be for the best"

"I'm not mad Molly, more relieved than anything else" replied Harry "When do you think I will be fit enough to go visit"

"Well both of you have improved massively since yesterday, so I think with a good nights sleep you should both be able to go tomorrow"

"Both of us?" asked Ginny confused

"Yes Andromeda has asked for both of you"

At Molly's suggestion Harry spent the night with Ginny to make sure they both woke up having had a good night, on top of which Molly also declared Harry's arm as having healed enough to take it out of its sling. After breakfast and to be on the safe side Molly escorted them to Mrs Tonk's house.

Having fallen out of fire grate in Mrs Tonk's living room, Harry while picking himself up was at first struck by how the trip through the floo had left him feeling a bit tired but it hadn't taken anywhere near as much as it had two days ago. Hearing the flames roar again he stepped out of the way to give Ginny and Molly space to step into the room.

"Molly I wasn't expecting to see you today" said a voice behind Harry causing him to jump and turn around. Stood in a doorway with the light behind her causing her face to be in shadow was a living image of Belatrix Lestrange. Having met her before Harry knew he was looking at Belatrix's sister and Tonk's mother Andromeda, despite this he still had to fight the brief urge to pull out his wand and attack her. "Well with everything that has happened I thought I'd better make sure these two got here safely, plus I was hoping you would ensure these two took these" said Molly offering Andromeda a bag containing vials of potion "If left on there own they would probably forget them"

"Don't worry Molly I'll make sure they take them" assured Andromeda

With Andromeda's assurances Molly took her leave and left for the Burrow. Andromeda turned to the two teenagers sat in her living room.

"How are the two of you" she asked

"We are fine thanks" answered Harry "Finding some things a bit tiring, but other than that we are fine. Hows Teddy? I'm really sorry I haven't been sooner. I don't have any viable excuse, I'm so sorry"

Andromeda took a moment to study the young man in front of her and saw only sincerity in his eyes, to her he clearly meant what he said,

"It's OK Harry you can relax. As I believe Molly said to you, the two of us have been in touch since the end of the battle. As much as I wanted you involved in Teddy's life we agreed it wouldn't be fair on either of you to force the responsibility on your shoulders so soon, granted recent developments have delayed things, but that is hardly your fault"

At Andromeda's words Harry visibly relaxed, before saying a quiet thank you.

"Where is Teddy?" asked Harry

"He is taking a nap up stairs, hopefully we will have enough time to discuss something. Something that affects you Ginny" answered Andromeda.

"Me"? Asked Ginny looking confused.

"Yes Ginny, where as Remus named Harry Godfather almost immediately after the birth and have Tonks agree, Tonks did not immediately name a godmother. Having said that I believe that you were her only choice, she spoke very highly of you and like Remus asking Harry she wanted to ask you herself. I will be honest I cant force you to take on any responsibility, but I am certain that both Tonks and Remus would be honoured if you did".

"You want me to be Godmother?" Asked Ginny who seemed to be completely gob-smacked.

"Yes I do" answered Andromeda "I will be honest even if you accept the title of Godmother, I cant force you to take on any responsibility with me being grandmother, but I would appreciate it"

"I would be honoured Andromeda" answered Ginny

As Ginny gave her answer there came a child's crying from upstairs. Andromeda excused herself with a smile and went upstairs to Teddy. She came down a few minutes later carrying Teddy. Harry noticed that his hair was black as was his grandmothers. As Andromeda was crossing the room Harry sat up expecting Andromeda to hand him Teddy, only to notice Ginny already leaning forward with her arms reaching out for Teddy. Harry seeing a chance to boost Ginny's mood, deliberately caught Andromeda's eye and nodded to try and indicate she should give Teddy to Ginny. After giving Harry an odd look she headed to Ginny and handed Teddy to Ginny. For a moment Teddy was quiet and stared up at his new godmother, as Ginny's face lit up with a smile, Teddy's followed suit, and within minutes his hair changed to match Ginny's.

They spent an enjoyable morning playing with Teddy, every time he moved between the two of them his hair changed to the colour of whoever was holding him. At lunch time Harry found himself helping Andromeda make lunch for the three of them while Ginny fed Teddy. While they were preparing lunch Andromeda took the opportunity to ask Harry why he had allowed Ginny to hold Teddy first. With Harry's story about the kidnapping, Hogwarts fight and Ginny's nightmares, Andromeda fell silent. When he explained that he had sworn to himself to keep Ginny smiling and saw an opportunity to boost Ginny's mood by letting her hold Teddy first, Andromeda simply nodded, saying she understood.

When Molly arrived later that afternoon, Harry was struck with a sudden thought and after having a quiet word with Molly, invited Andromeda and Teddy to spend Christmas day with them at the Burrow. At first Andromeda tried to say she couldn't impose on the family, but neither Molly, Ginny or Harry would take no for an answer. With Christmas day arranged the three of them flooed home.

Arriving at the Burrow and despite their protests of not feeling tired, Molly insisted the pair of them go upstairs and rest until dinner was ready. As they arrived on the landing outside their rooms they shared a hug before separating and heading for their own rooms. Harry walked into his room to find not only the bed missing but all of his belongings were missing as well. Too make matters worse the rest of the room filled with boxes that were marked with "Weasley wizard wheezes". Harry took a moment to take a deep breath before shouting "GEORGE!"

The only response he got was from Ginny who called from inside her room "He's in here Harry"

Stepping into Ginny's room Harry saw that her room was the opposite of his room. Where his room was filled with boxes, Ginny's was completely bare. Ginny was stood in the centre of the room with her arms folded over her chest while George was stood in front of the far wall, his arm was raised and he was using a spell to change the soft pink walls to a pale blue.

"Your room empty as well?" asked Ginny

"No I've got the Weasley Wizard Wheezes storage room" replied Harry

"George!" shouted Harry and Ginny together.

"Hey you two, how's things?" asked George calmly

"George what in Merlin's name are you playing at?" asked Ginny

"And where the hell is our stuff" asked Harry

"Your stuff is in your room" replied George with a grin.

Ginny looked around the obviously bare room, whilst Harry looked out of the door across the landing to a room full of boxes.

"Yes George all of our stuff is quite clearly in both of our rooms, this is obviously our mistake and you clearly aren't in my room painting the sodding walls, do forgive us" said Ginny her voice filled with sarcasm "now if you will excuse me, I have been told to have a lie down by mum, so I had better get into bed" at which point Ginny promptly lay down on the floor where her bed had previously been.

"Mind if I join you?" asked Harry lying down next to her "My cardboard box collection has got out of hand and I cant find my bed"

"I warned you about that Harry" replied Ginny

"I know I really should listen to you more" said Harry continuing their act.

"You know if you two don't move you are going to get covered with paint" commented George "I mean you are welcome to stay there if you wish but I thought you would be more comfortable in your beds"

Harry opened his eyes to find George leaning over them upside down, before glancing over at Ginny, who was staring fixedly at George.

"Seriously George why are you painting the walls of my bedroom?" asked Ginny

"Your bedroom? I'm painting the walls of my bedroom, seriously your stuff is in your room"

Ginny sat up suddenly "What do you mean this is your room? If this is your room where is my room? And where is Harry's?"

"Upstairs" was the only response they got from George

Picking himself up of the floor Harry offered his hand to Ginny "Come on the sooner we get to the punchline of this prank the sooner we can get our beds back"

Heading out of the door of Ginny's room they turned to go upstairs and were followed up the stairs by George, on the next landing they stopped and turned to George who gestured to his bedroom. Sighing with impatience Ginny stepped forward, opened the door and walked into the room. Harry followed her after giving George a shrewd look, trying to figure out what the prank was. As he walked through the door he walked straight into Ginny who had stopped dead just inside the room. Looking around he found himself in what appeared to be a completely redesigned room. Gone was the familiar room that belonged to the twins. The walls had been painted a soft off white colour. Both his and Ginny's beds had been put up against the same wall about a foot apart. The rest of their furniture had been set out around the edges of the room with Harry's on one side and Ginny's on the other. Hanging from the ceiling between the beds was a curtain that was hanging from the ceiling on a runner that ran the length of the room.

"I know it's a bit early but Merry Christmas" said George's

Harry and Ginny turned to George both of them completely speechless.

"I wanted to do something to help you both, so I gave you my room" explained George.

"But … George this was yours and Fred's room" said Ginny

"I know but you two need a room that is big enough for the two of you to share and I need to start moving on"

"What do you mean moving on?" asked Harry

"I want to move back into the flat above the shop eventually, but I'm not ready for that just yet, moving out of our room but staying at home is a good first step"

"This isn't Easy for you is it?" asked Ginny

George slowly shook his head "No its not, but you need the space more than I do and I know Fred would approve"

Ginny pulled her brother into a hug, before whispering "thank you" to him "Fred would be proud of you for doing this"

As Ginny let go of George, Harry tried to shake his hand only to have George pull him into a hug saying "A handshake isn't going to do it mate"

As George let go of Harry he turned to address them both "Couple of things before I leave you to settle in, firstly the beds have been fixed in place with a sticking charm only mum or dad can undo. Guess who's idea that was? Secondly you may have noticed the curtain running down the middle of the room, that's there in case either of you want some privacy from the other. Again guess who's idea that was? Now if you will excuse me I have some decorating to do" and with that George bounced out of the room.

Harry and Ginny stood in the middle of their room looking around, both of them stunned at Georges gift. Harry took Ginny's hand and pulled her into a hug.

"Sticking charms and a privacy curtain do we need to guess?" he asked while a smile on his face.

"No but are you complaining?" asked Ginny who was also smiling.

"Hell no"

"I see George has given you his Christmas present" came a voice from the doorway. Turning around they found Molly and Arthur stood in the bedroom doorway.

"Yes" said Harry slowly "I think we are both very appreciative and very stunned"

"Yes he surprised us too when he suggested it" started Molly "Now I don't want to be a spoilsport but this arrangement comes with some rules. As you know we are not comfortable with unmarried couples sharing a room, but as you two clearly need each other, particularly at night, we are willing to compromise and while Ginny is still having nightmares, you have our permission to share a bed if that is the only option. But we expect you to try and sleep in your own beds"

"We understand mum" answered Ginny "If we are completely honest with you, as much as we like sharing a bed we both agree we need to be able to sleep alone"

"We really do appreciate this though" said Harry "and neither of us want to abuse your trust"

"That's good to hear son" said Arthur smiling. "We will let you know when dinner is ready"

Later that night Harry and Ginny found themselves heading to bed early, the day with Teddy having tired them out. Despite the jokes about the privacy curtain and who was responsible, Ginny found herself using it to get changed behind. While they were getting changed there was a knock at the bedroom door. Having checked Ginny was ready Harry opened the door to find Charlie stood there.

"Hey can I come in for a minute?" asked Charlie's

"Sure" said Harry moving away from the door, Ginny having finished changing had pushed the privacy curtain open and against the wall and was sitting on her bed. Harry moved across the room and sat next to her, while Charlie sat across from them on Harry's bed.

"You know it seems a bit strange to be sitting in here without George or Fred for that matter. For as long as I've known this has always been their room" said Charlie

"I know what you mean" replied Ginny "He admitted it wasn't easy for him earlier. I hope he's going to be OK downstairs"

"Don't worry about George, until he's finished decorating and sorted through those boxes we are both sleeping in your old room Ginny. If he needs someone, I'll be there for him" answered Charlie "Er look there's something I want to tell you two. If I'm honest I want to tell the whole family but I want to tell you two first"

"Why us?" asked Ginny

"After what I put you through in the summer and the way you helped me, I think you deserve to know first"

"Know what?" asked Harry

"I've met someone" said Charlie grinning "I have a girlfriend"

"Who is she?" asked Ginny suddenly excited "Where did you meet her"

"Her name is Delamere Moore and amazingly I met her on the dragon reserve in Romania"

"Delamere? Sounds American?" asked Harry

"She is, she trained in pretty much the same way I did, but in the states and then applied for a job working at the reserve"

"So when do we get to meet her" asked Ginny

"All being well and assuming mum doesn't get upset, it will be Christmas day maybe Christmas eve"

Ginny closed her eyes for a moment and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You've invited her to Christmas dinner without asking mum first haven't you?"

"Err" was Charlie's only response at first "after what I did I was determined to tell you two first and with recent events occurring I didn't even think about asking mum and dad"

Ginny briefly bent over and put her head in her hands before sitting back up and looking straight at Charlie while pointing at the door "Go. Go now you fool and talk to mum and dad before they go to bed and make sure you explain why you haven't said anything to them before now"

"Er yes you have a point there" said Charlie rising rapidly "excuse me" and with that he was gone.

Harry and Ginny went to bed that night smiling at her brothers antics, while hoping Molly would agree to her coming to Christmas dinner.


	22. Chapter 22 Christmas and New Year

_AN - Evening all sorry you've had to wait a bit for this chapter, work has been a tad mental this week._

 _Thanks to mdauben and NinjaKittehz for your comments and to all of the new people who are following or have favourited the story_

 _This chapter takes us through Christmas and the new year. It is a little short but i wanted to focus on what happens next._

 _Hope you enjoy_

 **Chapter 22 Christmas and New Year**

Harry and Ginny were finally declared fit and healthy a week before Christmas and although Ginny was still having nightmares they were steadily improving and their sleep was being disturbed less and less.

Thankfully being declared fit and healthy meant they were allowed to go shopping for Christmas presents, though an ever cautious Molly insisted they went with Ron and Hermione.

Thankfully neither Molly or Arthur had been upset over Charlie inviting his girlfriend without speaking to them first. They had understood why he had wanted to tell Harry and Ginny first and like the rest of the family they were looking forward to meeting her.

Delamere arrived with Charlie mid afternoon on Christmas Eve, she was dressed plainly in jeans, jumper and trainers, she had an oval face with with smooth pale skin that was free of freckles or blemishes, height wise appeared to be a little under six feet tall had a slim build and had blonde hair that fell to just bellow her shoulders. When she first entered the living room where people were sitting she appeared nervous but as the family greeted her warmly she relaxed and returned their smiles. When she spoke it was with an accent Harry had always associated with the southern American states.

After the initial introductions were done Delamere was lead upstairs to Harry's old room where she would be sleeping during her stay at the Burrow. Thankfully, George, with some encouragement and help from Charlie, had gone through his boxes and moved anything he didn't need at home back to his shop, the rest he had moved into his new room that he was sharing with Charlie during the Christmas period.

Christmas morning the whole family including Bill, Fleur and Percy met up in the Burrow's living room bringing their presents to share. Christmas presents were shared while sausage and bacon sandwiches were passed around. Delamere surprised the family by handing out presents to everyone, while self-consciously apologising that they were all different types of confectionery. Not knowing the family members she had bought different confectionery for everyone from America but had chosen based on the age of the person she was giving it to.

Andromeda arrived with Teddy mid-morning, while presents were still being unwrapped. Harry found himself in a race with Ginny to get to Teddy first. The smile he got from Andromeda easily told him she knew he had lost on purpose. The little boy managed to get a smile from every member of the family and his hair was a vibrant shade of red for most of the day.

Harry and Ginny left there presents for each other till last, Harry had bought Ginny a charm bracelet, a muggle tradition that had started as a means of warding off evil spirits. He had chosen a couple of charms already, leaving the rest of the bracelet ready for future charms to be added.

Ginny gave Harry two scrap book's for Christmas the first was brand new, the second was one of Ginny's old scrap books. Specifically one of the books they had gone through the day Harry had stopped Bill and George's involvement in Charlie's plan. The first seemed obvious to Harry, but the second left him thinking.

The family spent the day laughing, joking and playing games with each other while taking it in turns to help Molly prepare the main Christmas dinner. For their main Christmas dinner everyone decided to dress up. Ginny wore a plain deep green knee length dress. In addition she wore her new charm bracelet, along with the jewellery that Harry had bought her earlier in the year and sat down at the table smiling with her necklace and earring's glowing brightly. Typically Ron had to learn the hard way to not compare her to a Christmas tree and had to Scourgify his shirt of bat bogies.

The new year brought with it a visit from professor McGonagall, who arrived mid-morning asking to speak with Ginny and Harry. They sat at the kitchen table along with Molly.

"I'm glad to see the two of you looking so much better than you were" said Minerva her usual stern de-meaner slipping for a moment.

"Thank you professor" replied Harry "we've got Molly's care and cooking to thank for that"

"I'm sorry to interrupt your recuperation but I've had to come here for two reasons. Firstly Ginny I need to know if you will be returning to school? I'm sorry if I'm pressuring you before you are ready. However we understand it maybe difficult for you after what happened, therefore if you wish to return we are prepared to put any special arrangements in place you may need"

Harry turned to Ginny and saw that she had gone pale. He took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze to reassure her, Ginny responded by gripping his hand tightly.

"I...I...I don't know" stammered Ginny "I want to finish my education but thought of going back scares me, plus I don't think I could go back at the moment"

"What do you mean?" asked Minerva

"I mean I'm not sleepi..." said Ginny getting quieter as she spoke to the point no one could hear the end of her sentence.

"I'm sorry Ginny I didn't catch the end of what you said" said Minerva with obvious concern in her voice.

Ginny turned to Harry with a pleading look in her eyes. "She said she isn't sleeping properly yet professor. She's still having nightmares that only I can bring her out of as a result of this and her brothers kindness, we are now sharing a room. As a result it wouldn't be practical for Ginny to return to school as I would have to be in whatever room she slept in at night"

"I see" said Minerva. After pausing for a moment she continued with "The obvious solution is that you sleep here and floo to school in the mornings"

"Well that solves the sleeping problem, but what are you going to do to make sure she feels safe during the day" asked Molly speaking for the first time. "It's quite clear she only feels completely safe around Harry at the moment, Harry can't be with her every moment while she is at school and you're asking her to go back to a place where she was kidnapped and held prisoner"

"Well to start with I was planning on asking students Ginny trusts or if needed teachers to escort Ginny between lessons, if a lesson is near where she was taken we can move the lesson to a spare classroom so Ginny doesn't have to approach the area"

"That seems a good start" said Molly who was acting somewhat coolly towards the Professor. "Any other suggestions?"

Minerva was clearly picking up on Molly's cold attitude towards her, but was just as clearly choosing not to react towards it. "Actually I do have something that might help" replied Minerva who turned to address Ginny "Ginny do you think it would help if Harry was nearby within the castle even if he wasn't in the same classroom?"

Ginny looked between the professor and Harry with a hopeful look in her eyes "Yes I think so, but why would Harry be at school? He's only taking one subject"

"Well this brings me onto the second reason why I am here. I am hoping that you Harry will agree to help the school out"

"Why do you need my help professor?" asked Harry

"I take it you remember finding our new defence teacher Professor Base unconscious in the corridor?"

"Under the circumstances I'm hardly going to forget" replied Harry somewhat sardonically.

"As you probably guessed he took it upon himself to try and help Mr Longbottom and Charlie Weasley in fighting Alecto Carrow and got hit by an unidentified spell. He has been in St Mungo's ever since and although he is recovering he wont be fit for the start of the new term and we are temporarily without a defence against the dark arts teacher. Now I know you probably aren't too keen to help the school after what happened to Ginny but I was hoping that you would agree to teach the defence against the dark arts classes until our professor is fit and well again"

"I'm hardly qualified to teach professor" replied Harry "and what about my own studies?"

"I would argue that you are an excellent teacher Harry" said Ginny who was suddenly looking happier than she had a few minutes ago "What about the DA? You spent your fifth year teaching defence to a group of students. Several of which were older than you at the time"

Harry turned to look at Ginny, the truth of the matter was that Minerva was right he wasn't particularly interested in helping the school out. As far as he was concerned if they had protected Ginny to begin with they wouldn't be sat here having this conversation. However Ginny was the one thing that was stopping him from giving an outright refusal. Sitting in front of him Ginny, though looking happier, had the same pleading look in her eyes as before. She clearly wanted him at Hogwarts, if for no other reason than her own sense of security.

"If I agree to this, it will be on my terms and for my reasons" said Harry

"I thought it might be" said Minerva

"Firstly I want it understood I'm only agreeing to do this in order to get Ginny through the next few months. Secondly we will not hide our relationship. We will act appropriately in public but we will not hide our relationship. Thirdly my own studies are not to be disturbed"

"Understood and agreed" replied Minerva "I do have another question for you though Ginny, do you wish to resume your head girl and captain roles?"

Before Ginny could respond Molly spoke "What do you mean by "resume"?"

Minerva hesitated before continuing "I'm afraid that Carrow did not present Ginny as role model for either role. I'm afraid in my ignorance I thought that Ginny wasn't coping with the stress of newts, the head girl position and Quidditch captain and I stripped Ginny of both positions and gave them to other students"

Molly looked as if she was about to explode with indignation, her eyes were wide with her eyebrows raised and she was breathing heavily. However before she could speak again Ginny spoke up "That's OK I don't blame you for that. I don't want either position any more. I just want to do my lessons and come home. As long as it goes on record that it wasn't me acting up and I have given the positions up voluntarily"

"Wait a min Gin. I think you should consider keeping the team captain role" said Harry

"What? Why?" asked Ginny seemingly astounded

"Gin flying is something you have always loved, to the point you used to teach yourself how to fly by stealing your brothers broomsticks, your dream unless it has suddenly changed is to fly for the Harpies!"

"Harry I'm out of practice I haven't been on a broomstick in nearly three months"

"So?! With my help and maybe Ron's and George's we could easily practice every day until you are back up till match fitness"

Ginny paused, her desire to fly fighting against her need to hide after her experience. Professor McGonagall took this moment to add her own encouragement to the discussion.

"Ginny, I should point out that all of the quidditch teams have been asking for rematches against Gryffindor"

"Why?" asked Ginny

"When it became common knowledge that you had been replaced by an imposter, all of the teams, Slytherin included, asked that the scores in their matches against Gryffindor be declared null and void and a rematch arranged" explained Minerva

"OK I'll play if the current captain will have me" said Ginny

"NO!" exclaimed Harry "That just gives you an easy excuse if the captain says no"

"Harry it wouldn't be fair if I walked in and took over or expected a position after the captain had been running things their way for three months" argued Ginny

"OK, fair point, Professor would the current captain be willing to do some sort of Co-Captain set up? It would seem to be the fairest solution under the circumstances"

"I think so, I spoke to them before the end of term. They wanted to continue in the captaincy role but were very understanding of your situation" answered Minerva

"OK, OK" said an almost exasperated Ginny "if the current Captain agrees to co-captain I will do it with them. If not I will fly if they want me to"

Harry, Minerva and Molly all agreed not wanting to push her any further.


	23. Chapter 23 Valentines Day

_AN - Very early morning to you all (01:30 at time of writing this note) I want to appologise for how long it has taken me to get this chapter written and released, unfortunatly my work doesnt seem to like the idea of me having a private life lol_

 _Anyway enough of my problems as a thanks for waiting here is the longest chapter i have written so far I hope you all enjoy_

 **Chapter 23 Valentines Day**

For Harry the month of January practically flew by, having spent the previous months mostly relaxing and only going to school twice a week for a single lesson, it turned out to be quite a shock to be suddenly going everyday. Thankfully his lesson plans were being done for him and handed to him in advance, allowing him to read through them prior to lessons and approach them in his own way. Apart from a few sullen faces from some of the Slytherin's, Harry was surprised to discover he didn't have any problems with any of the students. Or at least what he would have considered "normal" trouble. The first week in particular was filled with bouts of hero worship that Harry really could have done without. The seventh year Gryffindor and Slytherin class was particularly bad with it being Ginny's class, Harry had been unable to teach anything that first class with everyone wanting to ask questions about what had happened recently.

On top of his teaching and as promised Harry along with Ron, George and Charlie, while he was still in the UK, got Ginny started on a near daily training program to get her on a broomstick and back up to her usual standard.

As promised Professor McGonagall made arrangements so that Ginny wasn't left alone at any point during the school day, Luna proved to be a god send in this respect by volunteering to escort Ginny during her free time, rather than just to and from lessons they shared. During the lunch time meal's in the great hall, Harry would resolutely refuse to sit with the teachers and would sit with Ginny and Luna at the house tables. More often than not they would be joined by all of Ginny's friends from her year and when they were in school Ron and Hermione would also join them.

Unknown to any of the teachers or students except Ron, Hermione and Luna, Ginny's school bag had been magically extended so she could carry the Marauders map, a carefully wrapped two way mirror and Harry's invisibility cloak as well as her school books for the day. Harry had done this with Arthur's help, in order to boost Ginny's feeling of security while at school. For the first week back Ginny would not let go of her school bag while at school, except when she was with Harry. Slowly but surely Ginny's confidence returned and as it returned her fear slowly started to diminish.

One weekend at the end of January Harry and Ginny were both sat in their room while working on their school work, when Ginny turned to Harry.

"Harry" said Ginny getting Harry's attention

"Gin we've been through this, you can snog me as much as you want but I cant give you any extra points on your defence homework" joked Harry without looking up. Though he probably should have as she threw her text book at him.

"What was that Harry?"

While rubbing the back of his head where the book had caught him a glancing blow in passing, Harry turned to his girlfriend "I said what's the matter Gin?"

"First of all I don't need to butter up the defence professor, I can pass on my own thank you very much. Plus I already have the current defence teacher wrapped around my little finger"

"Do you now?"

"Yes I do. Now secondly, have you got anything planned for Valentines day?"

"Nothing yet. I was going to see how you felt closer to the day. Don't know what to get you either" replied Harry

Ginny hesitated before speaking again "Harry I...er...I...I want to plan valentines day this year. Presents, dinner, everything"

Harry looked at her puzzled "OK. But why are you so nervous about planning valentines day for us?"

"Because I need to borrow some money" said Ginny in a rush.

To say Harry was stunned would be an understatement. Ginny had never shown any interest in his money before and had always outdone herself with meaningful presents that were within her means.

"Gin if you need some money I'll gladly give you some I don't expect you to repay me"

"Harry if I don't repay you it will make even more people think I'm only interested in you for your money"

Ginny's response if anything came out a little too quickly, to Harry it seemed to be a rehearsed answer.

"Since when have you been that bothered what people outside of the family think? Besides as far as I'm concerned it's our money anyway. It's only a matter of time before its legally ours anyway"

"Harry just because I don't let it bother me doesn't mean I actually …. what did you just say?" asked Ginny having abruptly changed topic halfway through her sentence.

"Since when have you been bothered what other people think" replied Harry with a grin

"No after that"

"As far I'm concerned its our money"

"Because...?"

"Its only a matter of time before its legally ours anyway"

"I thought that's what you said" said Ginny carefully "Seriously Harry are you saying what I think your saying"

"Yes I am. I'm not suggesting were ready for that commitment just yet. But I believe we both feel the same way about each other and whenever I think of the future, I see the two of us together in it. Isn't that why you gave me one of your Harry Potter diaries?"

"Yes it was" said Ginny slowly "I wanted you to know how I feel without pressuring you for a commitment"

"You didn't expect me to feel the same way so soon"

Ginny sat there silently shaking her head, Harry's comment about their future had left her overwhelmingly surprised.

"Gin I meant what I said after the battle. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, doing whatever I can to make you happy" Harry finished by giving Ginny a hug which she gladly returned.

"Now about Valentines day. How about you plan it and I pay for it and to hell with what anyone else thinks. As long as we know the truth that's all that matters"

After his comments about their future and how he viewed his money Ginny didn't feel like she could argue with him and nodded her agreement.

"How much do you need?"

"Three hundred Galleons. Its for the gift. I've seen something that should give us some extra security, make us both feel safer, when we have to be apart"

"Gin if it's going to make you feel safe then just buy it. You don't have to wait for a special occasion to get it as a gift. Your safety is more important"

"Harry it's going to take a bit of time to arrive after I order it so it might as well be for valentines day. Also I need a lock of your hair"

"Hair?" asked Harry

"Its part of the gift, I'll explain when I give it to you"

The following day Harry took Ginny to Gringotts bank. Instead of just simply getting the three hundred galleons out of his vault, Harry decided to save time in the long run and had Ginny added to his account and arranged for her to have her own key, despite Ginny protesting it wasn't necessary. That done, Ginny sent Harry to wait for her at Fortescue's ice cream parlour while she took the money and lock's of hair into another shop. Once they were home Ginny made him promise again not to buy her another present or to ask any more questions about Valentines day.

February the 14th that year fell on a Sunday and the school had arranged a Hogsmeade weekend to fall on the same weekend. On the Friday before, Valentines day Harry and Ginny arrived back at the Burrow to find two things waiting for them. The first was a parcel addressed to Ginny, who having opened it and taken a look inside, quickly closed it before taking it upstairs. When he asked what it was, Ginny told him not to be nosey. The second thing waiting for them was a note from Molly asking him to get in touch with Andromeda as soon as he got in. Having read the note Harry went straight over to the fireplace to fire call Andromeda. Harry tended to avoid fire calls if he could, finding the sensation of sticking his head into a fireplace somewhat unpleasant.

As he connected with fireplace in Andromeda's living room the first thing Harry was immediately aware of was the sound of a baby crying, presumably Teddy, but there was no sign of anyone.

"Andromeda?" called out Harry to no response just the continued crying from Teddy.

"ANDROMEDA!" Shouted Harry again to no response. Harry waited a minute and was about to shout out again when he heard someone from behind him speak.

"Harry what's wrong dear?" asked Molly

Harry pulled his head out of the fireplace and turned to Molly "I don't know, I got your note and fire called straight away, I can hear Teddy crying somewhere, but I can't hear Andromeda and she's not responded when I called out"

"Floo over right now" said Molly "I'll follow right behind you, hopefully she just hasn't heard you over Teddy's crying"

Harry quickly threw another pinch of powder into the flames and floo over to Andromeda's. Stumbling out of the fireplace as usual Harry immediately heard Teddy's crying, which if anything sounded louder than before. Quickly walking over to the doorway that lead upstairs, Harry stood at the foot of the stairs and shouted again, as Molly stepped out of the fireplace.

"ANDROMEDA!" Once again to no response.

Pulling his wand out on instinct Harry lead the way upstairs, with Molly close behind. Forcing himself to breath steadily, Harry could feel his heart beating faster than normal and found himself worrying about what he would find upstairs.

At the top of the stairs there was a short landing with two doors on the right and one door to the left. The first door he came to was the left hand door which he knew to be the bathroom, acting on instinct Harry opened the bathroom and silently cast a Homenum Revelio spell.

"Harry what are you doing?" asked Molly

"Checking the rooms empty" replied Harry "If an escaped Death Eater is willing to go after Ginny what's to stop them going after Teddy and Andromeda. Hopefully I'm just panicking and being over cautious"

Molly didn't say anything else but withdrew her own wand. Stepping over to the first door on the right, which was Andromeda's bedroom Harry opened the door. Lying on the bed on top of the bedclothes was Andromeda, she wasn't moving but was clearly breathing, seemingly asleep. Harry put his left arm out to stop Molly from pushing past while he checked the room was otherwise unoccupied. Once satisfied Andromeda was the only occupant of the room Harry let Molly past, who rushed over to Andromeda's side and quickly waved her wand over her.

"I think we can relax, she's ill, Flu coupled with exhaustion from the look of it" said Molly "Why don't you check on Teddy and I'll wake Andromeda up"

Harry nodded his head and walked down the landing to Teddy's room, feeling a sense of relief, but still found himself checking Teddy's room with the reveal spell to be on the safe side. Having reassured himself the room was empty except for Teddy, he quickly strode across the room to Teddy's cot. Lying on his back and still crying was Teddy, quickly putting his wand away, Harry reached into the cot and picked his godson up. Holding him against his chest he started comforting him.

"Harry, how's Teddy?" came Molly's voice from down the hall.

"He's fine Molly, I'm just going to do a nappy change and come to you"

A few minutes later Harry walked back into Andromeda's bedroom carrying a now settled Teddy. By now Molly had been able to wake Andromeda up and she was sitting up in bed but looking pale. Molly was too busy admonishing Andromeda for not admitting how ill she had felt when she had fire called the Burrow asking for Harry.

"What on earth were you thinking keeping this to yourself. You should have said something when you fire called the Burrow, if nothing else I could have come over and started treating you sooner" ranted Molly

"Molly I..." started Andromeda

"She's right Andromeda" interrupted Harry "If your that ill you can't wake up for Teddy you need to let someone know, to ensure Teddy is looked after"

"That's what I was trying to do by fire calling and asking for you" replied Andromeda

"But why didn't you tell Molly what the problem was? We are all family here"

Andromeda stared opened mouthed at Harry for a moment, before turning to look at Molly, who was firmly nodding her head.

"In future you only need to ask for help and someone will come round, even if you just want someone to take Teddy for a few hours so you can get some rest. You haven't just got me and Ginny you can turn to for support. For starters you've got Molly here. If there is ever a situation where me or Ginny couldn't get to you straight away I'm sure Molly would be happy to baby sit for a few hours. And if there is ever a situation where the three of us are unavailable there is the rest of the family you can turn to, Arthur, Ron, Hermione, Bill, Fleur, George, Percy and when he is in the UK Charlie" Harry stopped talking and took a breath, before realising he was lecturing a woman who was more than twice his age and the room had fallen silent.

Harry was about to apologise when Andromeda spoke up "Your right, thank you Harry"

"Your welcome, now what would you like me to feed Teddy before I get him ready for bed?"

"Actually I was wondering if you would have Teddy for the weekend?"

"As in take him to the Burrow? For the weekend?" asked Harry surprised

"Yes" said Andromeda nodding her head slowly "I'm clearly not fit to look after him at the moment and apparently I have a family I can turn to for help" she said finishing with a smile.

"I'd love to. Is that alright Molly?"

"Don't be daft of course it is. We still have Ginny's old cot in storage, which we can set up in your room. Now go and pack some clothes, toys and nappy's for Teddy, while I finish treating Andromeda"

Thirty minutes later Harry was stood in Andromeda's living room, with an overnight bag over his shoulder and Teddy held in his arms. Harry was about to step into the flames when a thought occurred to him. Sitting his precious cargo on the floor, he quickly fire called home. Luckily Ginny was passing through the living room as he appeared in the Burrow's Fire place.

"Ginny!"

"Harry!" exclaimed Ginny rushing over "Is everything alright? You've been gone for over an hour"

"Everything is fine, I'll explain when I get back. I'm about to floo back will you stay there and grab me as I come through? I don't want to stumble like I normally do"

"What's going on?" asked Ginny

"You'll see" said Harry before quickly pulling his head out of the fire.

Picking up a wide eyed Teddy, Harry threw another pinch of dust into the flames and flooed back to the Burrow. As he landed he felt Ginny grab both of his shoulders to steady him. Harry had barely stepped out of the fireplace when Ginny took Teddy out of his arms with a cry of "Teddy!"

Sitting down and bouncing an already giggling Teddy on her knee Ginny asked "Where's Andromeda?"

Harry explained about Andromeda being ill while sitting down next to Ginny and Teddy.

"Will this upset your plans for Sunday?" asked Harry

"Not at all. We'll just take him with us" replied Ginny

As they were talking Molly Flooed back to the Burrow. Having stepped out of the fireplace, she stopped to watch the young couple with Teddy. While she was watching Harry, Ginny and Teddy, Arthur walked in from the kitchen having apparated home from work.

"I see we have a visitor" commented Arthur with a smile

Arthur's comment seemingly woke Molly up and sent her into full Mum mode "Yes, a weekend Visitor, unfortunately Andromeda is sick, so Harry and Ginny are looking after Teddy for the weekend while she rest's. Right you three, as nice as it would be to sit here all afternoon, we have thing's to do, Harry, You and Arthur go up to the Attic and bring down Ginny's cot and high chair. High chair first as Teddy will be hungry soon. High Chair to the kitchen and set the cot up in Harry and Ginny's room. Ginny you come with me, we'll get Teddy's dinner sorted and once he is in his high chair, you can help me get dinner ready for everyone else" with a wave of her arms she sent everyone to work.

As the afternoon turned into evening Molly kept Harry and Ginny busy, with what seemed like a crash course in child care, teaching them a variety of charms so they could look after Teddy properly. That night they followed Molly's advise and went to bed early, as she expected Teddy to wake up during the night.

Saturday morning saw Harry and Ginny stuck in their room trying to complete their school work so they would have the rest of the weekend free, while Molly looked after Teddy. After lunch they went shopping for Molly in Diagon Alley, unknown to each other they were both wondering what it would be like to walk through the streets with their own children one day.

On the morning of Valentines day, Harry and Ginny were woken up early by a crying Teddy. Smiling tiredly at each other they went over to Teddy. Almost automatically Harry picked Teddy up and started a nappy change while Ginny used a warming charm to warm up some milk.

Harry sat back down in bed and leaned against the headboard, Ginny slid in next to him and handed him the bottle, before resting her head on his shoulder.

As they were watching their godson have his milk, there was a soft knock at the door.

"Come in" called Ginny

The door opened revealing Molly "How is he? I heard him cry twice during the night, but you seemed to get him settled again quickly"

"We didn't have any problems Molly, feed, change and back to sleep both times" said Harry

"Good to hear. Is everything in place for later?"

"Yes thanks mum" answered Ginny "I'm having a shower first so I can go and make sure everything is in place and your watching Teddy while Harry has a shower"

"Are you going to tell me what we are doing yet?" asked Harry

"Nope" replied Ginny smiling

"Well whenever your ready I'll have breakfast waiting for the three of you" said Molly before leaving the room.

The rest of the morning seemed to drag at first for Harry but as they got closer to lunch time it seemed to speed up and suddenly he found himself short on time. Ginny had already left, leaving instructions to meet her in the entrance hall at Hogwarts at eleven thirty. Leaving Teddy with Molly he grabbed a quick shower before getting dressed in some of his best clothes.

Coming downstairs he saw that Molly had dressed Teddy as warmly as she could, with it being February it was still cold and there had been a light layer of snow on the ground that had melted in the mid day sun. Picking Teddy's bag up first he put it over his shoulder so he would have both hands free. As Molly handed him Teddy she told him to floo to the Headmistresses office and to meet Ginny in the entrance hall.

"You know what she has planned don't you?" asked Harry

"Yes and I also know you are going to be late if you don't get a move on" replied Molly while pushing him to the fireplace.

Moments later Harry was stood in Professor McGonagall's office, after checking on Teddy Harry turned to see Professor McGonagall sat at her desk watching him with a rare smile on her lips.

"Excuse me professor"

"Enjoy your afternoon Harry" replied the normally stern professor.

Stepping out of the office and down the stairs Harry soon found himself in a crowd of students all waiting in the entrance hall to be allowed out to visit the village. Instinctively Harry held onto Teddy tighter, worried he might get knocked and drop him. Looking around he finally saw Ginny stood near the stairs. Thankfully the crowd started to thin as the students were finally let out of the main doors allowing Harry to reach Ginny. Due to the crowd Ginny hadn't seen Harry approach

"So, I see you have managed to arrange an actual date in Hogsmeade while we are both still in school" said Harry smiling.

Ginny turned around smiling "not only that but I get to publicly go on a date with one of the teacher's" leaning in she finished by kissing him, before promptly taking Teddy out of his hands and heading towards the school doors.

"Am I allowed to know where we are going yet?" asked Harry

"What do you think?" asked Ginny without taking her eyes from Teddy "just enjoy the walk for now"

As they left the school Harry noticed two things, the first is that the weather wasn't as mild at Hogwarts as it had been at the Burrow and there was still snow on the ground, the second was that Ginny was carrying her school bag, thinking she was carrying it to give the extra safety while in the school, Harry was going to dismiss it. But before he could though Ginny saw him looking at her.

"What's the matter?" asked Ginny

"Nothing, I just noticed you were carrying your school bag"

"I was going to leave it at home today, as we were going to be together and not really in school, but I needed something to carry the gifts in, so I thought might as well use this one"

"Fair enough"

As they walked the school driveway soon ended with the castle gates and turned into the lane leading towards Hogsmeade. Before too long they were on the outskirts of Hogsmeade where the lane to Hogwarts met with Hogsmeade high street. As they started down the high street Ginny handed Teddy back to Harry and linked an arm through Harry's. As they passed Dervish and Banges Harry wondered if they would be having dinner at the Three Broomsticks, but as they walked down the street Ginny silently guided them past the pub and carried on walking. Though confused Harry said nothing, frustratingly he couldn't figure out where they were going, He could only think of two more places that served food in Hogsmeade, Madam Puddifoots and the Hogs Head. As much as he liked Aberforth he couldn't imagine the Hogs Head as a particularly romantic place and the last time they had been in Hogsmeade Ginny had refused to go to Madam Puddifoots. Looking down at Ginny he saw she was smiling, clearly enjoying keeping Harry in the dark.

As they passed Zonko's and then the post office, Ginny suddenly pulled on Harry's arm guided the three of them across the street and down a passageway that Harry had never seen before.

"Gin where are you taking us?" asked Harry

"Shh you'll see soon enough" was Ginny's only reply

At the end of the passageway was a metal gateway which had the gates already open. On the left hand side of the gate was a sign that simply read Hogsmeade Park.

"I didn't know Hogsmeade had a park?"

"Neither did I until two weeks ago" confessed Ginny "You'll have to thank mum for sharing this with us. Most students miss it, what with it being tucked down the passageway and with being more interested in Zonko's, The Three Broomsticks and Honeydukes. For those who do find it, it is a perfect place for a private date"

As they entered the park, Harry saw a small and well used looking play area of in a corner. The rest of the park however was immaculate. The paths were clean and free of rubbish, the lawns were neatly cut and the flower beds full of plants and flowers that clearly maintained and pruned regularly. In the distance Harry could see what at first glance looked like a white tent and soon realised that Ginny was guiding him to it. As they approached the tent Harry realised it was actually a muggle Gazebo that had panels fitted in the three sides which faced the town. The fourth had been left open giving them a stunning view of the snow covered fields and hill's behind the town. Stepping inside Harry saw two tables had been set up, one was across the back of the gazebo and was filled with pans, plates and dishes which were hovering over blue flames to keep them warm. The second table was dead centre and had three places set around it. One either side for Harry and Ginny and a third for Teddy between them with his high chair facing out towards the view.

"I've borrowed the tent thing from Hermione's parents, dad helped me to set it up and taught me a warming charm that is stronger than the one taught at Hogwarts, so we don't need to sit here wrapped in coats, oh and he taught me a ward I can place down so Teddy can't crawl out of this tent thing."

Turning to look at Ginny, Harry realised she was nervous, she had clearly gone to a lot of trouble and it obviously meant a lot to her for Harry to like what she had done.

"Gin this is brilliant" exclaimed Harry with a smile.

Finally smiling brightly Ginny told him to sit down while she served the first course. Sitting down he took Teddy's coat off and sat him in his high chair. Ginny returned with a meal for Teddy and a simple tomato soup for Harry and herself. The meal progressed with the two of them taking turns to help Teddy feed himself. The starter was followed up with lamb chops with mash potatoes and vegetables. By the time the main course was finished with, Teddy had had enough to eat and wanted out of his chair so they sat him on the floor with some toys and let him crawl around, all the while keeping an eye on him, whilst they ate their dessert of treacle tart.

After she took the dessert plates away, Ginny went over to her school bag and pulled out a small box, which she carried over to the table and placed before Harry.

"What's this?" asked Harry as Ginny moved her chair around the table so it was next to Harry's.

"It's our gift" answered Ginny as she sat back down. "Open it" she said quietly.

Harry picked up the box, it was six inches wide, three inches tall and an inch deep and was covered in a fine dark blue leather. Lifting the lid Harry looked inside and found two pendants on chains sat on individual cushions. The pendants were near identical. They both consisted of a silver clasp attaching it to the chain, below the chain were three prongs that went down and around a spherical gemstone holding it in place. The only difference was that one gemstone was dark red and the second Dark Green. Without speaking Ginny reached into the box and pulled out the pendant with the dark red gemstone. Pulling apart the chain, she held the loop up in front of Harry. Realising she wanted to put it on him Harry leant forward so she could place it over his head. Once the chain was around his neck, Ginny gestured towards the second chain. Harry picked it up and copied Ginny's actions and placed it over her head as she moved her hair out of the way. As he let go of the chain he noticed that the two gemstones glowed briefly, clearly indicating some magic had been activated.

"Gin?" Was as far as Harry got. Before either of them could say anything else the air was filled with the sound of an explosion followed by screams. Both acted on instinct and dived towards Teddy and landed on either side of him, Ginny had her arms wrapped around Teddy pressing him into her chest and Harry had his arm wrapped around both of them pulling them into himself. As Teddy started crying Harry pulled out his wand. As he did so a second explosion sounded, this time much closer, close enough that the shock wave blew the Gazebo flying sideways, exposing them to the elements and a cloud of dirt and dust that quickly settled on them.

Acting on impulse and whilst still lying on the ground Harry threw up a shield before standing cautiously. Keeping his wand raised in his right hand with the shield charm still active, he reached down with his left hand and grabbed Ginny's arm and pulled her to her feet. As Ginny found her balance whilst still clutching a screaming Teddy, Harry yelled "Grab your bag" and moved with her to where the table had fallen over. As Ginny placed the strap of her bag over her head, Harry could feel spells ricocheting of his shield. Looking through the dust and dirt that was falling Harry could just make out a figure in a cloak with the hood up towards the park entrance. Looking around for an escape route Harry saw nothing but open fields behind him a stream to his right, but he could see what appeared to be a road to his left. Glancing at Ginny he saw that she was ready to move, her school bag was secured, she had moved Teddy to her left hip and was holding him tightly with her left arm. In her right hand was her wand which was aimed towards the cloaked figure.

"Gin get ready to run with me. Were heading for that road to our left. I'll keep my shield up and between us and whoever that is. I want you to keep firing spells at them to distract them"

"With pleasure" said Ginny sounding surprisingly calm and a lot calmer than Harry felt. Before Harry could say anything else Ginny started firing of a rapid series of Reductor curses at the cloaked figure with an alarming precision, causing the cloaked figure to dive to the floor.

"MOVE!" yelled Harry

On Harry's command Ginny stopped firing and ran, holding Teddy with both arms. Harry running on Ginny's right so he was between them and the figure kept his right arm raised and his shield up.

Thankfully Ginny's barrage of Reductor curses had been so effective they didn't have any more spells fired at them as they ran. As they reached the road they turned right and found themselves running up a side street that led towards the high street. What they could see of the high street showed simple chaos, with students running back and forth and screaming in fear. Harry grabbed Ginny's arm and pulled her to a stop.

"Hows Teddy?" he asked

"Apart from being scared and screaming he's fine" replied Ginny

"And you?" asked Harry

"I'm fine, I just want to get Teddy home"

"Agreed, I'm taking you both side along" replied Harry. Wrapping his arm around Ginny, Harry raised his wand and twisted. Only nothing happened. "What the hell" said Harry more to himself and tried again with the same result.

"They must have put an anti-disapparition jinx in place" said Ginny

"Bugger" swore Harry before reaching into Ginny's school bag.

"Harry what are you doing?" asked Ginny

"Trying to get my invisibility cloak" answered Harry "You and Teddy are going under it"

"NO Harry"

"Gin don't argue"

"Harry, Teddy is screaming so loudly they will know where we are even if we are under the cloak. OK it might help for a short while but it will just slow us down"

Harry, realising she had a point, pulled his hand out of Ginny's school bag. While trying to think of a better idea than to just run straight into the chaos on the high street, Harry glanced back down the street they had run up and froze. The cloaked figure from before had followed them across the field to the road and had caught up. They were stood at the far end of the street where the houses ended and they had run onto the road.

"Gin Run" said Harry

"What?" started Ginny as she too looked back down the road "Oh shit!" As she turned and started to run.

As Ginny moved the cloaked figure quickly raised their arm and fired a spell in their direction. Once again acting on impulse Harry threw up a shield, but in his rush he didn't have time to make it a strong as he normally could. The shield protected him from harm but the strength of the incoming spell caused his shield to instantly dissipate and for Harry to be thrown backwards landing on the floor several feet from where he had been standing winded and unable to get straight back up.

"HARRY!" Screamed Ginny, instinctively running back to Harry. Standing over him protectively she raised her own shield, which she kept pointed towards the cloaked figure, while at the same time having to try and control Teddy with her left arm alone.

"HARRY GET UP!"

Thankfully Ginny's cry seemed to shock Harry back to his sense's. Standing back up Harry saw how she was struggling to hold a raised shield and to keep hold of Teddy who was distracting her, by wriggling in her increasingly loose grip. Grabbing Teddy and taking him off her, Harry quickly copied Ginny from before and put Teddy on his left hip while holding him with his left arm, leaving his right arm free to use his wand.

Without Teddy distracting her Ginny had been able to focus on keeping her shield raised, but the cloaked figure was attacking with an increased tempo and spell after spell was bouncing of Ginny's shield. As they had worked before Harry stepped up besides Ginny and fired off a series of Reductor curses straight at the figure. Thankfully for whatever reason the cloaked figure couldn't defend as well as they could attack. After Harry's first Reductor curse instantly dissipated their hastily raised shield, they were left with same option as before and had to dive out of the way. As they dived to the floor their hood finally shifted and fell to reveal a head of blonde hair, frustratingly they managed to keep their back to Harry and Ginny so that was all they saw.

Harry kept up his barrage of Reductor curses, aiming close to but just behind the cloaked figure, forcing them to scramble for cover behind a brick wall. As their attacker dived behind the wall Harry and Ginny turned together and ran towards the high street. At the end of the road they stopped and looked up and down the high street, Harry's first thought had been to run for the Hogshead, but as he looked up the road in the direction of the Hogshead he saw more cloaked figures. They seemed to be making their way down the high street towards them and were firing spells into buildings causing explosions and were giving the impression of herding the mass of students on the high street. Turning left he moved out into the mass of panicking students only pausing to check Ginny was with him.

"Stay close" Harry yelled to Ginny "We'll head for the Three Broomsticks. Hopefully we can loose them in the crowd and maybe Floo out from there"

"And if we cant?" asked Ginny

"Only other option is to keep running to the edge of town, hope we get out from the anti-disapparition jinx and try to apparate again"

As it happened Harry's idea of going to the Three Broomsticks wasn't going to work as they got there they discovered a mass of student's trying to force their way into the pub in the hope of finding safety. With a single glance at each other Harry and Ginny opted to carry on rather than try and fight their way through the mob of terrified students. As they passed the Three Broomsticks Harry saw a side street he recognised and called to Ginny.

"Ginny this way"

Without asking questions Ginny trusted Harry's judgement and followed him down the side street.

"Where are we going?" asked Ginny

"This side street leads to the Shrieking Shack. If we cant apparate out there is a secret passage there that leads to Hogwarts"

"Nice one" replied Ginny who was starting to sound out of breath

"The bad news is if we get there it comes out under the whomping willow"

"We'll deal with that if we get there"

As they ran down the side street, Harry thought for a brief moment he had managed to outsmart their attackers, unfortunately as they ran down the side road Harry heard three words that made his blood freeze "I'VE FOUND THEM" Harry and Ginny both turned and looked back and saw a cloaked figure standing at the end of the street gesturing wildly at people currently out of sight on the high street.

"For the love of Merlin who have you pissed off this time Harry?" asked Ginny

"You know I was about to ask you the same question" replied Harry

As they turned to run again, the cloaked figure at the end of the road fired a spell in their direction. Harry who was determined to keep himself between the attackers and Teddy had his back to the figure at the end of the street and never saw the spell coming. Ginny however was trying to watch over her shoulder and saw the spell coming a fraction too late. Seeing the spell she spun and threw herself in front of Harry and Teddy while trying to raise a shield only to do so too late. The Stunner spell hit her in the centre of her chest, the force of which caused he to topple backwards and to fall into Harry, bringing him down with her. Being so intent on protecting Teddy, Harry turned as he fell and landed on his right arm, the force of the impact driving his wand from his hand and sending it flying.

Harry briefly slid to a halt, he was lying on his right hand side with his right arm stretched out in front of him, Teddy who was still screaming was still held firmly in Harry's left arm and Ginny who was unconscious from the stunner spell was lying on top of his legs, effectively pinning him to the floor.

Harry looked down the street and saw several cloaked figures now walking up towards them in a line spread out across the street. Getting increasingly desperate Harry looked around wildly looking for a wand, any wand. Finally seeing what he thought to be a wand lying several feet away, Harry reached down with his right hand and grabbed Ginny before he started kicking blindly with his legs, desperate to keep them all together, terrified of what might happen if they were separated. A glance back down the street showed him how fast the cloaked figures were approaching and he redoubled his efforts, not even attempting to reach out for the wand he could see until he knew he was close enough to it.

Push and drag, push and drag was Harry's only focus as he made his way to the wand he could see, as he got within two feet of the wand, Harry was contemplating letting go of Ginny so he could reach out for the wand. As he gave one last push with his legs a dirty black leather boot put itself between Harry and the wand briefly before kicking it away.

"An impressive effort I will admit Mr Potter" came an oily and familiar sounding voice "Impressive and noble but ultimately foolish"

Harry looked up to see a man with oily hair in a cloak with the hood raised looking down at him. He knew he recognised him from somewhere but couldn't immediately place where from. Before Harry could say anything his oily sounding assailant spoke again.

"I wouldn't normally do this but this little escapade has taken far too long today, Let go of the girl or I'll kill the kid!"

Instinctively Harry pulled Ginny and Teddy closer to himself.

"I don't have time to muck about Potter 3… 2…"

"WAIT" cried Harry

Looking down at Ginny, Harry couldn't believe he was about to do what he had to do. His only guidance was his faith in Ginny. He believed she would sacrifice herself to save Teddy, she had thrown herself between them and the stunner. Slowly he let go of his grip on Ginny and forced his hand away from her, while his fist impulsively grabbed at thin air.

"Good choice" came the oily voice as Harry felt Ginny's weight being lifted off him "We'll be in touch" Harry watched helplessly as he saw one man raise his wand and cast a spell shortly before the team of cloaked men disapparated, taking Ginny with them.

 _AN - Ok i know i normally go for pre chapter notes but i wanted to explain a couple of things after the chapter had been read,_

 _1st of all in case you were wondering I havn't taken any writters privilege with the day of valentines day. The battle for Hogwarts is dated as being the 2nd of May 1998 so this particular valentines day is based in Febuary 1999 and actually landed on a sunday._

 _2nd point if anyone is wondering as to where my locations within Hogsmeade have come from I should explain i have used a map of Hogsmeade i found on the internet. The creator of this map claims it is as cannon as they can make it and it was made to help fanfiction writers. I will admit i have not checked their claim but have used the map as a convenient reference._


	24. Chapter 24 The Ransom Note

A/N:- I just want to say sorry to all of you following this story that it has taken me so long to get this chapter out. I've allowed myself to be distracted and spent most of my free time playing Minecraft.

As allways i want to say thanks to to everyone who has commented and started to follow and favourited my story since the last update and I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

 **Chapter 24 The Ransom Note**

Harry lay on his back for several moments before anything registered with him. Even then it was only the sound of Teddy's crying that alerted him to any problem. While holding onto Teddy Harry picked himself up of the floor and stood up. Almost blindly looking around Harry managed to find both his and Ginny's wand's and pocketed them. Harry looked around wildly for Ginny despite knowing she wasn't there. Finally looking at the child in his arms Harry realised there was one thing he had to do before anything else.

Pulling out his wand Harry and while keeping a firm hold onto Teddy, Harry apparated back to the Tonks home. He arrived just outside the edge of the wards that were in place around the Tonks house. Looking up at the house Harry was suddenly overcome with fatigue coupled with dread at the thought of what Andromeda would say to him when she found out how much danger Teddy had been in.

Opening the gate and stepping through put Harry inside the wards. Having closed the gate he started up the path and saw Andromeda watching him from the living room window. The puzzled look on her face quickly turned to one of concern when she saw the state Harry was in and how Teddy was crying.

As Harry reached the front door, Andromeda opened it from inside. Though still not looking completely fit and healthy, Harry noticed she was looking far better than she had when he had last seen her on Friday. Instinctively she reached out and took Teddy off Harry. Although he didn't stop crying straight away, Teddy was obviously happier to be with his Grandmother. Harry on the other hand was relieved to simply hand him to someone else before his fatigue took over completely.

Looking at Harry with obvious concern Andromeda spoke to Harry,

"I've been ill and stuck in bed for the last two days. Yet you are the one who looks like death. What's happened Harry?"

Harry could feel himself starting to sway and had to grasp the door frame to keep himself steady.

"Hogsmeade was attacked, don't know who they were but they were after us, they...they..." Harry felt like the world was starting to spin and he knew he was going to be violently sick, turning away from the doorway he stumbled and fell forwards before being sick in a flower bed next to the garden path. Although it wasn't as bad he still felt as if the world was spinning and his vision was fading. Feeling a soft hand gently touching him on his back. He turned to see Andromeda crouched on the path next to him.

"What did they do Harry?" asked Andromeda softly.

"They took Ginny, they were going to kill Teddy if I didn't hand her over" at that Harry stopped fighting the shock and allowed the blackness to take him. He was unconscious almost immediately and unaware of Andromeda lowering him to the floor, so he didn't hurt himself by falling face first onto the path.

When Harry awoke he found himself lying on a sofa, confused he sat up slowly, his glasses had been removed and everything was blurred, yet somehow familiar.

"Ah you awake" came Andromeda's soft voice as she place Harry's glasses into his hands.

Putting his glasses on and sitting up, Harry realised he was Andromeda's living room.

"How did I get here?" asked Harry

"You fainted on the path outside, I levitated you inside, you've been out for about thirty minutes"

As Andromeda spoke the days events came flooding back to him "Hows Teddy?" he asked quietly.

"Teddy's fine Harry" replied Andromeda "He's fast asleep upstairs. I'm more concerned about you right now. What happened today Harry? Start from the beginning"

Harry recounted the days events to Andromeda, the feeling of guilt weighing so heavily on him, he expected to be kicked out of Andromeda's home at any moment for allowing Teddy to be so much danger.

"I'd better go" said Harry as he finished his story.

"Go? Why?" asked Andromeda

"Your hardly going to want me near Teddy after today"

"Harry I am not going to blame you for the actions of others, now sit down" said Andromeda finishing somewhat sternly.

Responding more to Andromeda's tone, Harry automatically sat down. Before he could say anything Andromeda spoke again.

"Now why aren't you out there tearing the wizarding world apart looking for your girlfriend? Where's that spark of controlled anger that lectured an old woman into seeing sense on Friday?"

"I don't think I can call Ginny my girlfriend after this" said Harry quietly.

"What are you talking about Harry?"

"I didn't exactly fight to keep hold of her. I just let her go. I should have done something"

"And just what were you going to do Harry? You were alone, facing multiple attackers, wandless and pinned to the floor by Ginny who had stepped in front of that spell to save you and Teddy. Further more they were threatening to kill Teddy. If you had tried to fight they could have killed him and may not have stopped at just Teddy."

"I … just feel like I've let her down" replied Harry

"Harry the only way you could let Ginny down is if you sit there feeling sorry for yourself and do nothing!" said Andromeda just as sternly as before.

Harry realised Andromeda was right, he could only let Ginny down if sat there doing nothing while feeling sorry for himself.

"Your right. I'm going back to the Burrow, then Hogwarts to see if the kidnappers have been in touch. After that I'm going to the ministry if needs be" said Harry

"Good" replied Andromeda "Go and bring her home"

Harry stepped over to the fireplace and threw some powder into the flames and called out "the Burrow" As he was about to step into the flames he paused and turned to Andromeda and said thanks before leaving.

Once back at the Burrow a quick look around revealed that the house was empty and no one was home, Harry only stayed for a couple of minutes to check there wasn't any messages or owls waiting for him. Once satisfied the kidnappers hadn't left a message there Harry flooed to The headmistresses office at Hogwarts. As soon as he stepped out of the fire he was presented with Ron and Hermione rushing over to him.

"HARRY! Where have you been?" asked Ron.

"I had to take Teddy home and make sure he was OK" answered Harry "Have the kidnappers been in touch?"

"We believe so" said Hermione

"You believe so?"

"A letter has arrived addressed to you but its charmed so only you can open it, we were just discussing going out looking for you"

"Didn't anyone think to try the most obvious place and going to Andromeda's? We were attacked while we had Teddy with us" said Harry dryly as he stepped past them and walked towards McGonagall's desk.

As he walked towards the desk Harry took in everyone else who was in the room. Stood behind her desk was Professor McGonagall who was talking to Kingsley. In a corner near Kingsley were two wizards Harry didn't recognise who he assumed were Auror's. In front of the desk and to the right were Arthur, Molly and Percy. To the left was Bill, Charlie, George, Fleur and for some reason he couldn't fathom Delamere.

Without breaking stride Harry walked straight up to the desk and addressed Kingsley and McGonagall. "I believe you have a letter that is charmed so only I can open it?"

"Harry! Where have you been?" asked Kingsley in his deep voice.

"Making sure my godson is safe and looked after. The letter please I'd rather not loose any more time"

"Harry we need to talk about what happened this afternoon first" said Kingsley

Turning away from Kingsley Harry looked to Professor McGonagall "The letter please professor" asked Harry with his hand stretched out towards the professor.

"Perhaps you should speak with the minister first Harry" replied McGonagall.

Harry was rapidly loosing patience, but he hadn't failed to notice how Minerva had addressed Kingsley as minister rather than by his name. "Minister what do you expect me to say? We were attacked, I don't know who by or why, when they caught us they threatened to kill Teddy if I didn't give them Ginny. They took Ginny and I took Teddy home. Now will you stop wasting time and give me the letter"

Kingsley didn't speak, but withdrew an envelope out of his pocket and handed it wordlessly to Harry. Harry accepted the letter without speaking in return. Having remembered Kingsley's comments in the hospital wing, he was wondering how much Kingsley already knew. The envelope briefly warmed and then cooled signifying the charm had recognised him. Breaking the seal he reached into the envelope and pulled out a folded sheet of paper and a wizard photograph. A brief glance at the photo showed Ginny tied to a chair, turning to the sheet of paper Harry unfolded it, revealing it to be a letter.

 _Potter_

 _All we want is the Elder Wand._

 _We know you have it and we know you are its master._

 _Bring it to us and we will hand over the girl._

 _Refuse and you will be arranging your girlfriends funeral._

 _You have until twelve noon Monday_

 _Stand under the clock at Euston station._

 _No wands, No Auror's, No Golden Trio._

The letter wasn't signed, giving no clue as to who they were. Looking up Harry saw that Arthur and Molly had joined him on his right, without speaking he offered the letter and picture to Arthur, who took them and held them so Molly could see them. Seeing Ginny in the picture caused tears to start falling down Molly's cheeks.

As the letter and picture was passed around the family, Harry looked over at Kingsley. Try as he might he couldn't get the man to look him in the eye. Finally the letter and picture was handed to Kingsley, Harry waited for Kingsley to read the letter before turning on him.

"How much do you know Kingsley? How much of this mess did you know about before the attack?" asked Harry

Finally looking straight at Harry, Kingsley answered "Not as much as you are probably thinking at the moment. We've been hearing rumours about a possible kidnap attempt for some time. After it was revealed that Ginny had been kidnapped and held for two months we assumed the rumoured attempt had occurred. But the rumours didn't go away, our informant, who we considered unreliable kept on insisting a plot was still rumoured to be occurring"

"That informant wouldn't be Draco Malfoy would it?" asked Harry

"How do you know that?" asked Kingsley clearly shocked

"He came to see me as he didn't think you were taking him seriously" answered Harry "What else do you know?"

"Only that the kidnappers may involve a business or businessmen from Diagon Alley. The official opinion of the Auror department is that this was unlikely" explained Kingsley

"Why would they dismiss that as unlikely?" asked Harry

"Because as far as we can tell all of the businesses in Diagon alley are run by upstanding members of the wizarding community" replied Kingsley looking at Harry somewhat incredulously.

"So I take it you never investigated Ollivander then?"

"Ollivander? No why would we?"

"Because Ollivander is not only a wand maker with an understanding of the Elder wand, but he is a man who is in awe of power and those able to wield it. If he believed he had traced the ownership of the Elder wand he would probably go after it, I doubt he would be able to help himself"

"Harry you can't make accusations based on assumptions" chastised Hermione.

"Maybe not Hermione, But Kingsley and his Auror team shouldn't be assuming people are safe just because something has happened once before. On top of which if Kingsley had done as I asked when me and Ginny were in the hospital wing back in December and kept me informed of any direct threats, I could have suggested investigating Ollivander sooner, granted an investigation might only prove his innocence but at least we would have one less suspect"

At first Kingsley looked like he was going to loose his temper with Harry for speaking down to him and questioning his decisions, but he suddenly seemed to deflate and stood for a few seconds with his head bowed before speaking again. "I'm sorry Harry"

Before Harry could speak again Arthur spoke "This is all very interesting Harry but how does it help us get Ginny back in the short term?"

Turning to Arthur, Harry paused before answering. "It doesn't. I was letting my anger get the better of me"

"So what do we do?" asked Molly "My daughter is out there somewhere"

"Surly the first step should be for Kingsley to send some Auror's to investigate Ollivander?" asked Percy "I find it hard to believe he might be involved in something like this but what Harry said does have a degree of logic to it"

"No Percy" came Kingsley's deep voice "It's too late for that, plus the letter said no Auror's, if he is involved and they see Auror's investigating it may spook them. Having said that we could do with someone taking a look down Diagon Alley"

"I'll go" offered Bill

"No you can't Bill" said Harry "sending any member of the Weasley family will have the same effect as sending an Auror"

At that the room fell silent until Delamere spoke up.

"What about me?"

"Maybe" said Harry slowly "My main concern is you wont know the area as well as you need to"

"I'll go Harry" said Minerva walking over to the fireplace.

"You!?" asked Delamere seemingly shocked.

Looking at Delamere with a large degree of disdain Minerva responded with "Young lady, age has nothing to do with ability" with a flourish and a flash of green flames she was gone.

Harry picked up the letter and picture and started absent-mindedly pacing around the office while re-reading the letter. As he passed Charlie, he stopped suddenly, an idea forming. "No Auror's, No Trio" he muttered while looking at the letter.

"What's that Harry" asked Ron

"The letter says no Auror's and no golden trio, but it doesn't say no DA"

"That's clever mate. But do you think people will come to help?" asked Ron

"There's only one way to find out" replied Harry "Hermione can you use the coins and tell them to floo to this office if they are willing to help"

"Harry do you really think bringing a student group into this is a good idea?" asked Molly

"Molly this particular student group spent a year, fighting against the Carrow's and their insane teaching. On top of which most of the DA fought in the final battle against Voldemort and the death eaters"

Molly looked genuinely frightened for a moment before asking "You aren't expecting a full scale battle are you?"

"I don't know what to expect Molly, but the one thing that is worrying me is that I can't do as they are demanding, so this situation is probably going to get worse"

"What do you mean you can't do what they are demanding?"

"Ginny snapped the Elder wand last year in the debriefing we had. Sure I can go desecrate Dumbledore's tomb and retrieve the pieces but I doubt the kidnappers are going to accept two pieces of a broken wand as their ransom payment"

At that the room fell silent. The realisation that the kidnappers might not be willing to return Ginny hitting them all hard. Molly silently reached out and took the picture of Ginny from Harry while her tears started to fall again.

"But what about your wand? Couldn't you give them that instead? Surely they would accept it if you explained" This came from Ron who had a clear edge of desperation in his voice.

"I would advise against that Mr Weasley" came a voice from behind and above them "Miss Weasley snapped the Elder wand to try and stop trouble like this. To do as you suggest would put both Harry and your sister at further risk"

Lifting his head and turning Harry found himself looking at Professor Dumbledore's portrait, "I agree professor. Do you have any further suggestions?"

"No. I believe you have everything you need to bring this situation to a successful conclusion...oh and don't worry about opening my tomb I understand fully" and with that the former headmaster stepped out of his picture frame.

With Dumbledore's departure Harry found himself pacing the room again, desperately trying to come think of someone who would want to gain possession of the Elder wand, but with Diagon Alley as his only clue he kept on coming back to Ollivander.

As he paced back and forth the Fire flared Green and out stepped Neville, he had barley stepped out of the fireplace when the fire flared green a second time and Professor McGonagall stepped out.

"Mr Longbottom what are you doing here? asked McGonagall somewhat sternly having just walked into her former student.

"Sorry Professor, Harry called asking for my help and I only arrived a second before yourself" replied Neville

"Did you discover anything professor?" asked Harry

"Nothing conclusive I'm afraid. Just a bit odd. Ollivander's shop is closed up and empty as we might expect for a Sunday, but what is a bit odd is that his flat above his shop is empty and locked up as well and judging by the state of the food on display through the kitchen window he hasn't been there for a few days at least"

"Thank you Professor" said Harry

"What's the plan Harry?" asked Neville

"At the moment we are trying to figure out where Ginny is being held. We can't plan anything until we have that figured out"

"Harry what if we can't work out where Ginny is being held? We need to put together a plan for the exchange" asked Kingsley

"Good thinking. We will need a map of Euston station" said Harry turning to Hermione he continued "Hermione being muggle born you're probably best suited for that. Take Neville with you we will contact you through the coins"

Hermione stood while nodding her head, turning to Neville she said "If we go to my parents house we should be able to get a map from there, but they aren't connect to the floo network"

"No worries we can floo to my Gran's and apparate from there"

Together they stepped towards the fireplace and with a flash of green flame were gone.

Shortly after they left the fireplace flamed again and Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet stepped out.

"Mr Potter have you invited everyone from the Dumbledore Army group?"

"Err maybe" replied Harry his face cringing as the fire flared again and Luna Lovegood stepped out.

"May I ask why Mr Potter" ask the Professor

"Well Professor" started Harry as the fire flamed again and Lee Jordan stepped out "I realised the instructions" another flame and Seamus Finnigan stepped out "stated that I couldn't involve" another flame and Dean Thomas stepped out "Auror's or Ron and Hermione and" a flash and Padma and Parvarti Patil stepped out "I realised they hadn't mentioned the DA" another flash and Susan Bones stepped out "and that they could help without breaking the kidnappers rules"

Professor McGonagall glanced at the group of students who had seemingly invaded her office before fixing Harry with a stern glare and her lips pressed together.

Harry quickly wilted under the headmistresses glare "Sorry Professor"

"Hmm at least you are thinking your way through this" said the professor before heading over to her desk.

"Ron can you take everyone to one side and explain what's going on please mate" asked Harry.

As Ron took the group of DA volunteers to one side, Harry resumed his pacing around the office, trying once again to figure out who had taken Ginny.

"Harry" called out Molly to get his attention.

"Yes Molly?"

"What is this necklace that Ginny is wearing in the picture? Is it your Valentines day gift?"

Not exactly. Ginny arranged the gifts for both of us. I just paid for them" explained Harry "She said the would …." Harry stopped talking as he started to remember what Ginny had said to him.

"Ginny said they would what Harry?" asked Molly

Stepping forward Harry took the picture from Molly and started to give it a closer look than he had before "She said they would give us some extra security, make us both feel safer, when we have to be apart"

When he had first looked at the picture Harry had seen Ginny tied to a chair and passed the picture on. Now looking at the picture properly for the first time Harry started to take in the details that he hadn't seen before. Ginny was still wearing the dress she had been wearing while they had their Valentine dinner, her pendant was hanging from its chain and sitting in the centre of her chest. As he looked closer he realised Ginny's arms had been tied to the chair arms near to her elbows giving her a small degree of movement. This became more obvious as he realise he was looking at a wizards picture and he saw Ginny move in the picture. Occasionally her right arm would come up quickly and point towards her pendant.

Harry looked away from the picture and reached inside his shirt and pulled out his pendant, and noticed for the first time that the gemstone in his pendant was glowing. A sense of excitement quickly built up inside Harry as he suddenly realised he had the answer to his problem. Something that could tell him where Ginny was being held. But as suddenly as it had overcome him the sense of excitement left him as he realised something important.

While holding his pendant in one hand and the picture in the other Harry looked up into the hopeful eyes of Molly and said "We were attacked just as she gave me the pendant, I don't know what to do".


	25. Chapter 25 The Rescue

_A/N:- I had hoped to get this out before Christmas, but with one thing and another I didn't get a lot of time for writting in the lead up to Christmas. Anyway Happy new year folks, I hope you weren't too hung over._

 _Once again thanks to all of you who have read, favourited and commented on the story so far, I hope you all enjoy._

 **Chapter 25 The Rescue**

"Harry what do you mean you don't know what to do?" asked Molly

"We got as far as putting the chains over each others necks, when we did that the Gemstones glowed briefly and that was when the attack started, both of us dived to the floor either side of Teddy, Ginny never got a chance to tell me what the necklaces were for, beyond making us feel more secure when apart, she certainly never said anything about how to use them." answered Harry.

As Harry finished speaking the hope he had seen in Molly's eyes seemed to fade, as she stepped backwards away from Harry. Arthur quickly guided his wife into a chair and beckoned Charlie and Ron to come over to her. Once Ron and Charlie were comforting their mother, Arthur stepped over to Harry along with Bill and Kingsley.

"Bill, Kingsley, do either of you have any idea what these things are?" asked Arthur.

"I think I do dad" replied Bill "Though I have only ever read about them while in training for Gringotts, I've never had the opportunity to study them. That's assuming its what I think it is. Harry did you have to give Ginny anything else for the necklace's?" asked Bill.

"She needed a lock of my hair, she never said why, just that it was for part of the gift."

"What do you think they are Bill?" asked Arthur.

"I think they are some form of Locator stones or Tracker stones as they became known later on. They date back to a time before the Protean charm was developed. They utilise a predecessor of the Protean charm, the charm wouldn't work without a physical sample from the people intended to use them, which is where the hair comes in. They used to use blood until they discovered hair works just as well. They were very popular among married magical couples for a while. They would buy them claiming they wanted to keep their partners safe but ultimately they would be used to check up and see if the partners were cheating" answered Bill.

"I'm liking the name Locator stone's Bill, but did your reading happen to cover how these Locator stones were used by the wearers to track their partners?" asked Harry.

"Yes, but there is a bit of a problem. My understanding is that there are various ways in which these Locator Stones could work. At a very basic level they would act like a compass and point you towards your partner, where as others would act like emergency port key's".

"Could the amount of money I gave Ginny give you an idea of what level of stone Ginny has purchased?" asked Harry.

"Theoretically yes, but these things have been out of fashion for so long it would be near impossible for us to figure out what level of Stone Ginny has purchased in the time available, for all we know she could have spent all of the money on the simplest stone or she could of received one of the more complex variants"

"Bill" came Kingsley's deep voice "Couldn't we start with the more basic variant and see if it worked? If not we could move up a level?".

"In theory yes, but I can only clearly remember the most basic level. If that doesn't work we will have to do some research for the other levels of stones"

Harry's attention was focused solely on Bill. His hope uncontrollably rising, more then anything he wanted to bring Ginny home and he found himself having to take a deep breath before asking Bill his next question "Assuming you are right Bill how do I try using this thing?".

"Place it in the palm of your hand and concentrate your thoughts on Ginny and yourself. If it works you should feel a pulling sensation. From the direction that Ginny is located" explained Bill.

Following Bill's instructions and let his thoughts focus on the two of them. Almost straight away Harry felt as if he was being pulled gently to the left. Turning to the left, the pulling sensation didn't change direction and Harry felt as if he was being pulled forward. Harry pointed forward and said "She's somewhere in that direction."

Kingsley stepped forward with his hand outstretched and the palm facing upwards and his wand lying on the palm of his hand. "Point me" At Kingsley's words his wand spun and pointed in the opposite direction to what Harry was facing. "If north is that way then Ginny is somewhere south of here."

"What use is it if it can only give us a direction rather than a location?" asked Percy who had wandered over and joined them.

For a few moments everyone was quiet, while they thought about what Percy had asked.

"If we apparate around the country to different locations we could determine a location from the direction the locator stone gives Harry" said Kingsley.

"Do we have time for that?" asked Percy.

Harry looked at his watch as was surprised to see it was eight o'clock already "The hand over isn't until Twelve o'clock tomorrow lunch time, that gives us sixteen hours. If I work through the night it should be enough time."

"Harry you shouldn't go out there alone at a time like this. I'll come with you" said Kingsley "While we are gone everyone else can get some rest or help plan how to approach the hand over at Euston station."

Harry was about to accept Kingsley's offer to accompany him when Arthur spoke up. "Kingsley if we are planning to cover Euston station, your experience as an Auror will be needed here. I'll accompany Harry".

"Makes sense Kingsley" commented Harry.

Kingsley nodded his agreement and waved his wand in the air, conjuring a map, a ruler and a self inking quill "Take these you will be able to record the different directions".

Arthur took the items and turned to Harry "Lets floo to the Burrow, once you have established a second direction from the Burrow, we can start apparating from there".

Harry stumbled out of the Burrows fireplace, turning to check Arthur was with him, he pulled out the locator stone and quickly established Ginny's direction from the Burrow while Arthur did a point me spell.

"OK Ginny is due east from here" said Arthur as he pulled out the map, quill and ruler. He quickly marked Hogwarts on the map and drew a straight line down the map. He then marked the Burrow on the map and drew a line across the map. Harry couldn't help but notice that the two lines intersected in London.

"I know it already looks like we could skip straight to London but I suggest we don't rush and go to two more locations that are east and south of London. Hopefully by doing that we should be able to eliminate a degree of error and confirm the area she is in, before moving in closer"

"Makes sense, do you know of anywhere we could go to?" asked Harry

"I do, I'll take you side along" replied Arthur.

Twenty minutes later Harry and Arthur had been to two more locations and had four lines on the map. Although they didn't intersect perfectly they gave a clear indicator that Ginny was being held in central London.

"We will have to get in closer, but it looks like she is being held in or around Diagon Alley. Do you have your cloak with you?"

"No it was in Ginny's bag and she had it with her when they took her".

"OK hold still I'm going to place a disillusionment charm on both of us, not as good as your cloak but it will have to do".

Arthur then tapped Harry and himself on the top of the head with his wand. "If we stick to the shadows where possible it should help ensure we are not seen. I'm going to apparate us to four alleyways I know of that are around Diagon Alley, but within muggle London, if that confirms our suspicions I will take us into Diagon Alley itself"

Another twenty minutes later their suspicions had been confirmed. They had visited four different alleyways, on each arrival Arthur had performed a point me spell to acquire north and told Harry which direction Diagon Alley was from their location, each time the locator stone showed Ginny to be coming from the same direction as Diagon Alley.

At this point Harry could feel his heart beating in his chest and he was struggling to control the urge to apparate to the Leaky Cauldron. Turning to the shimmer he knew to be Arthur he decided to let the seemingly calmer older man take the lead for now.

"So what now?" asked Harry.

"We need to get into Diagon Alley without being seen, so going through the Leaky Cauldron is out. I was considering either apparating or flooing to Georges shop, but I'm concerned that they may have someone watching either it or Ollivander's. Apparating into Diagon Alley near the Leaky carries the same risk of being seen as there will be more people and they may have people watching the entrance".

"So somewhere in the middle of Diagon Alley?" asked Harry.

Arthur nodded his head in agreement "I think I know the place. There is a narrow alley between Madam Malkin's and Flourish and Blott's. I can take you side along, but we have noway of knowing if the alley is clear or not. We may apparate in and land on something making a noise"

"OK, apparate in by yourself first and check it out. If the alley is clear you can come back to fetch me, if you land on something we back off and have a rethink".

Arthur apparated away with a nod of his head, while he was gone Harry stepped back and leant against a wall and forced himself to take some slow deep breath's, in an attempt to try and calm himself and his breathing down.

Suddenly Arthur reappeared, grabbed Harry and just as suddenly apparated again taking Harry side along with him. As soon as they landed Arthur put his hand over Harry's mouth and shushed him to keep quiet.

"Shhh" said Arthur quietly, shushing Harry "Sorry about that, someone appears to be patrolling Diagon Alley, I had to grab you and get you in here while they were as far away as possible"

"Understood" whispered Harry, a tad shaken after being suddenly grabbed, his heart beating faster than before.

"The disillusionment charm is still working, I suggest you get a direction from the alley's entrance" whispered Arthur.

Harry walked carefully to avoid making any sounds and purposefully stayed within the shadows. Once in the alley's entrance he stood so he was facing across the street with the locator stone in his hand and concentrated on himself and Ginny. Immediately he got the now familiar pulling sensation, which was pulling him mostly to the right. Turning slowly to the right until the pulling sensation was pulling him forward Harry found himself looking across Diagon Alley at an angle and he found himself looking straight towards the entrance way to Knockturn Alley. Harry was suddenly hit with a bout of realisation, he had suddenly realised who the man with the oily sounding voice was and where Ginny was being held.

Almost instinctively Harry took a blind step backwards and immediately back-stepped into Arthur. Realising something was up Arthur didn't speak and silently followed Harry to the back of the Alley.

"Harry what's wrong?" asked Arthur quietly.

"I know who he is" replied Harry breathing heavily "I know where she is"

"Harry keep your voice down" hissed Arthur "What do you mean you know who he is? How do you suddenly know where Ginny is being held"

"When the attackers took Ginny, one of them spoke, I knew I recognised him from somewhere but couldn't place him. The locator stone is telling me Ginny is somewhere in Knockturn alley, that's made me realise who the man who spoke is. It was Borgin from Borgin and Burkes. She's being held in his shop, she must be"

Arthur was quiet for a moment before replying, "I agree that is the most likely place she is being held but we had better make sure. Before we head back and plan a raid we need to be certain that is where she is being held".

"OK can we risk apparating any closer to the shop though? With the apparation sound we are likely to alert them that we are there" asked Harry.

"True but if we are careful we should be able to creep down Knockturn alley. I can renew the disillusionment charm's so they don't run out half way down Knockturn Alley"

Harry nodded his head and allowed Arthur to renew the disillusionment charm on him. Stepping back towards the alley entrance Harry glanced up and down Diagon Alley.

"Who did you think was on patrol?" he asked Arthur.

Arthur indicated he wanted to swap places with Harry, having done so he glanced up and down Diagon Alley. "It's the older looking gentleman in the brown cloak who is currently walking back down the street towards us"

Harry risked a look around Arthur and saw the man that Arthur was talking about. He was walking almost casually down Diagon Alley like any other member of the public. As he came to the entrance to Knockturn Alley he stopped and paused, making a point to look both up and down Diagon alley as well as down Knockturn Alley. When he eventually moved he continued on down Diagon alley, in the direction of the Leaky Cauldron.

"As he approaches Magical Instrument's head for Knockturn Alley, that shop is the far end of his patrol" whispered Arthur.

"Understood" whispered Harry back.

Harry kept switching between watching the man on patrol and the entrance to Knockturn Alley. "NOW" hissed Arthur. Heading across the road found himself instinctively jogging while bent over. A quick glance at Arthur's shimmer showed that he was doing the same as Harry. As they approached the entrance to Knockturn Alley they both slowed down to slow walk and headed for the darkest shadows they could find. Finding himself in the lead Harry lead them a few feet down Knockturn Alley, before holding his hand up to stop Arthur.

"Would a reveal spell work here?" asked Harry in a low whisper.

"The spell will work, but with us being outside and in a public area it would be near impossible to interpret the results correctly" Arthur replied.

Harry nodded his head to indicate his understanding, before he moved on. Walking slowly forward they crept further down Knockturn Alley. Suddenly they heard the sound of footsteps rapidly heading towards them. Instinctively they both stopped and pressed themselves against the wall. As they stood there an old bent over and crippled looking lady in a black cloak stormed past them while muttering things they couldn't make out. Harry suddenly realised he was holding his breath and let it out suddenly. In the quiet of the Alley it sounded unnaturally loud.

Arthur put his hand on Harry's shoulder and whispered "Try to breathe steadily through your nose, it's a lot quieter"

"Thanks" Whispered Harry.

Starting off again they came in sight of the shop Borgin and Burkes. As they got closer the first thing Harry noticed was that lights were on somewhere in the back of the shop, the second thing he noticed was a man with a dirty grey robe wrapped around him, sat in the doorway of the shop. Stopping once again, Harry watched him for a minute to see if he had noticed them at all. When the man didn't move he pointed to him to make sure Arthur was aware of him. Arthur nodded his head and lent into Harry and whispered into his ear "Direction"

Nodding his understanding Harry pulled out the locator stone. Soon enough the pulling sensation was guiding him straight at Borgin and Burkes. Without speaking Harry pointed straight at the shop, Arthur silently nodded his head, before pointing and nodding his head back up Knockturn Alley seemingly satisfied that they now knew where Ginny was. Harry turned to follow him but as they were about to leave the shop door opened and a second man stepped out carrying two mugs. Harry and Arthur both stopped and stood pressed up against the opposite wall. The man who had been sitting in the doorway stood up and accepted a mug off the second man, after taking a drink he started talking to the second man.

"So which idiot forgot the silencing charm then? I heard that scream out here, hell I bet half the alley heard it!" asked the first man.

"Merlin knows, no one is accepting responsibility for it. Thankfully this being Knockturn Alley, no-one will ask any questions" replied the second man.

"Small blessing's I suppose. What the hell caused her to scream out?"

"She's a fiery handful is that one, the second she woke up from the stunner she started fighting and refused to co-operate at all. She somehow managed to knock Borgin's wand out of his hand, at that point he snapped and stamped on her ankle in anger. The scream you heard was her screaming in pain from what looks like a broken ankle"

Briefly Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath trying to control his rising anger and the rising bile that was now in his throat. Even with the two men stood outside the shop, Harry decided it was time to leave, granted if they moved there was a chance they would cause some noise and be heard, but listening to the two men was only causing his blood to boil and he needed to stay calm if they were going to stand any chance of getting Ginny back. He reached out with his right arm to where he thought Arthur was, with the intention of giving him a push away from the shop, only for his right hand to meet nothing but thin air. Confused Harry carefully looked around, trying to see the shimmer that would tell him where Arthur was. At first he thought Arthur might be further up Knockturn Alley having moved on thinking Harry had followed him. Seeing nothing to his right or further up the Alley, Harry looked to his left, wondering if they had somehow switched positions without him realising, but he couldn't see anything there either. Completely confused Harry slowly looked from left to right. Shortly after his field of vision had gone past the two men, he saw something that made him pause. Across the street and was what looked vaguely like a heat wave, Every so often it would move closer to the two men. Harry realised it was the shimmer created by a disillusionment charm and that it was probably Arthur, the one thing stopping him from darting across the street was that he couldn't be certain it was Arthur. Under the circumstances it was plausible that the kidnappers had someone on patrol using a disillusionment charm in order to stay hidden. If he went across the street and it wasn't Arthur he could give himself away and put Ginny at risk, at the very least she could be moved. Unfortunately if it was Arthur and Harry didn't move to stop him from doing what he thought Arthur was doing, Ginny could be put in the same risk.

Taking two steps forward, Harry paused, hoping for a confirmation as to who the disillusioned person was, but they kept moving slowly towards the shop. Taking two more steps forward Harry decided to take a risk.

"Arthur" he hissed

As Harry hissed "Arthur" the shimmer appeared to stop and turn before carrying on. Convinced it was Arthur, Harry realised what he was doing. He hadn't been able to control his anger after hearing what had happened to Ginny and he was going after the two men. Harry dashed forward after Arthur to try and stop him but it was too late. As Harry reached the other side of the road, Arthur fired two spells at the men and they both fell to the floor unconscious from the stunners.

Harry ran forward and grabbed Arthur's arm "Merlin's sake Arthur what have you done?"

"What? Harry! They..." stammered Arthur at first

"We needed to leave them alone, these two are going to be missed when they don't check in, we've just revealed to the kidnappers we know where they are" Harry said sharply speaking over the older man.

Arthur paused while the realisation hit him "Wha...What do we do now" he said with obvious fear in his eyes.

"We need to act now. Help me tie these two up then get back to Hogwarts and send the DA to Diagon Alley. I will take out their man on patrol while the DA are arriving"

Within a few moments Harry and Arthur had thee two men bound and gagged and they levitated them around a corner so they wouldn't be immediately seen if someone came looking for them. At which point a worried looking Arthur apparated away and Harry ran back up the length of Knockturn Alley. Arriving at the entrance to Knockturn Alley, Harry paused and looked out onto Diagon Alley. It almost seemed as his luck might be changing, not only was the lookout walking past Knockturn Alley but due to the late hour Diagon Alley was empty. Acting quickly Harry stunned the lookout and levitated him into the shadows of Knockturn Alley before tying him up, to reduce the chance of him being seen. As he returned to the entrance of Knockturn Alley Harry realised he could hear a large group of people walking up the street towards him. Turning towards the sound Harry saw the DA walking up the street towards him. Mixed in with the DA members were all of Ginny's brothers. As they approached Harry cancelled the disillusionment charm, having seen him first Ron and Hermione came running forward.

"Harry what's going on?" asked Ron "dad came back in a near panic saying he had messed up and we had to come here straight away"

"Listen everyone" started Harry "we need to act fast, Ginny is being held in Borgin and Burkes"

"Why the rush Harry?" asked Bill.

"I'll explain more later but your dad stunned two guards that will be missed, we need to act now before the kidnappers realise they are gone"

"What's the plan?" asked Bill.

"Bill you now how to do an anti apparation jinx don't you?" asked Harry in response.

"I do"

"Right we are going to split into pairs. I want Weasley family members paired with DA members. Three pairs are going to make their way round to the back of the shop. Once Bill has put the jinx in place we move in quickly and as quietly as possible. Anyone inside that shop is to be stunned, disarmed and bound."

Neville stepped forward and started putting people in pairs, "If no one minds I'll pair people up. With working with the DA and some recent adventures I'm probably best suited for it. Bill, you are going to nave to stay outside to ensure the jinx stays in place, so I'm pairing you with Luna. She will keep you safe while you work on the jinx. Charlie, under the circumstances I reckon your best paired with me. Percy, I'm putting you with Padma, You should work well together. George, rather obvious Angelina. Ron as you worked together on the quidditch team I'm putting you with Alicia, Harry your with Katie for the same reason. Hermione your with Susan. Seamus, Dean, you've always worked well together and that leaves Lee pairing with Parvati. Er any complaints?"

No one had any complaints and they all moved into their assigned pairs.

"Right stick with your partners, if your partner goes down stay with them, protect them and get them out if possible. Ginny wouldn't want anyone to get hurt or worse trying to rescue her. Does anyone know if Borgin and Burkes has a back door?"

"Yes it has" said Charlie "I know how to get to it"

"OK, Charlie. Head off in front of us and take Neville, Seamus, Dean, Lee and Parvati with you, Send up red sparks when you are in position. I'll send up green sparks to signal moving in. Everyone else follow me"

Charlie and his team went first down Knockturn Alley, with everyone following Harry in their pairs. As they approached Borgin and Burkes Charlie lead his team down between to buildings and out of sight, Harry carried on and outside the shop he turned to Bill.

"Your up Bill"

Bill nodded his head and stepped forward and started waving his arms while saying the spell silently. As he finished his spell Charlie's red sparks came into view over the shop.

"Bill?"

"It's in place go!" was Bills reply.

"OK Percy I want you and Padma to stay by the door once we are inside, That way if we miss someone you should be able to prevent them leaving through the front door"

Harry sent up Green sparks and stepped up to the shops door, trying the handle he didn't expect it to be unlocked, but was surprised when the door handle turned in his hand. Cautiously he stepped into the shop with Katie behind him, They were followed by Ron and Alicia, then Hermione and Susan with George and Angelina coming last. Glancing around Harry saw the creepy artefacts that had been on display the last time he had been into the shop. At the counter Harry moved around it to go into the back room. Seeing a light coming from the back room he carefully glanced around the door. Sitting in the room were three men with cloaks wrapped around them, two were sat with there backs to the door the third was sat opposite them looking in the direction of the door. Stepping back from the door Harry turned to the others and held up three fingers. Everyone nodded their heads indicating they understood. Harry pointed to himself Katie and Ron, to tell them he wanted the three of them attacking the three kidnappers. Standing in front of the door with Katie and Ron behind him, Katie to the right and Ron to the left. Harry grabbed the door handle and pushed it open quickly, taking two rapid steps into the room Harry fired a non verbal stunner at the man facing the door, just before dropping to his knees so Ron and Katie could take their shots. The man facing the door barely had any time to register his shock at Harry's sudden appearance and the other two men didn't even have chance to turn around thanks to Ron and Katie's quickly fired stunners.

"Bind and gag them, take their wands and take them outside" Harry said to no one in particular, while walking around the room. The back room was seemingly set up as a combination living room and study. Settee's were in the middle of the room with tables and desk's were placed against the walls. Though it was as cluttered and dirty as the shop itself. There was doors set into two of the walls. Harry was stepping towards one of the doors, when the second door started to open slowly.

"Take cover" Harry hissed at the others.

Everyone in the room quickly tried to find something to hide behind, with most ending up behind one of the settee's. The door slowly opened to reveal Charlie being covered by Neville.

"Charlie you said the reveal spell picked up multiple people in here" asked Neville.

"It did" replied Charlie looking confused.

"Stand down you two" Harry called out before revealing himself. "Come across anyone?" he asked.

"Just one person guarding the back door to a store room, We've got him bound and gagged"

"OK Lee, Parvati, Seamus and Dean take the four we have outside. Charlie, Neville, George and Angelina stay here. Everyone else follow me" with Harry's words Katie, Ron, Alicia, Hermione and Susan followed Harry to the second door. Opening it revealed stairs leading upwards. Harry lead the way with Katie right behind him. Reaching the top of the stairs revealed a landing with three doors leading off it. Without having to be told Ron and Hermione both moved to separate doors along with their partners leaving the third door for Harry and Katie. Katie stood with her hand on the door handle ready to throw the door open for Harry. Looking across the landing Harry caught Ron and Hermione's eyes and held up three fingers and started a silent count down, reducing his fingers by one each time. On the count of zero Harry nodded to Katie who threw the door open. As the door flew open Harry ran the few short steps into the room. Once inside he realised it was a bedroom, like the rest of the shop it was dark and dirty filled with old and worn out furniture. In a corner was a single bed that was occupied, though the person in it was clearly asleep and unaware of Harry's intrusion. Deciding to take no chances Harry used Incarcerous to bind the sleeping person.

"Harry, isn't that Mr Ollivander?" asked Katie.

Taking a closer look Harry realised she was right, but was more concerned with what the others had found.

"It is, lets go and speak to the others and see what they found. If needs be we can come back and speak to him"

Stepping back onto the landing Harry saw that the others were already on their way back to them. As they approached Ron spoke first.

"Just a small bathroom. No one was in it" said Ron

"Our room had two men sleeping in it, we've bound and gagged them ready to take down stairs. No Ginny though. What did you find?" asked Hermione.

"Ollivander. Asleep" came Harry's short reply.

"Then they must have moved her, we've searched every room" said Ron.

Harry pulled out the locator stone once more and focused his thought on himself and Ginny. At first Harry thought the Locator stone had stopped working somehow, until he realised what the Stone was telling him. Looking down Harry said "She's beneath us"

"How is that possible Harry we searched all of the rooms downstairs?" asked Ron.

"It isn't unless..." Harry stopped talking mid sentence before turning and walked back into the room Ollivander was in. Once back in the bedroom he saw that Ollivander was now awake, but rather than fight against the ropes binding him he was lying still and looking straight at Harry.

"Harry my boy I'm so sorry, I never wanted this to happen" said Ollivander in a soft voice.

Not being interested in the old man's apologies, Harry got straight to business "Does this building have a cellar?" asked Harry.

"Yes, it's where your girlfriend is being held"

"Where's the entrance?"

"There is a trap door, hidden in the shadows in a corner behind the shop counter"

"And how do we know we can trust your directions?" came Ron's anger filled voice.

"There is nothing I can either do or say that prove to you I am telling you the truth. I just wanted to write my name into the Elder wand's history, by finding it, but no reputable person was willing to help and old man with what they saw as a fool's errand"

Looking into the old man's eyes Harry found himself believing him "Well you've certainly managed to write yourself into the wands history Mr Ollivander, but not in the way you wanted to I fear. There is one thing you should know though".

"What's that Harry?" asked Ollivander.

"The Elder wand no longer exists. At least not the way you want it to. I snapped it in two a couple of day's after the Hogwarts battle, in the hope people like you wouldn't come after me"

Harry knew he wasn't telling the exact truth but didn't want to put Ginny in any more danger by revealing she was the one who had snapped the wand. Ollivander didn't speak in response to what Harry said and just nodded his head slowly.

"What now Harry?" asked Hermione.

"Take Ollivander and the other two you found downstairs and outside. Then we go looking for the trapdoor".

Without being asked Katie, Alicia and Susan levitated the three bound men downstairs. As Harry, Ron and Hermione followed them, Hermione reached into a pocket and pulled out the two pieces of the elder wand and handed them to Harry.

"Thanks, when did you get these?"

"I didn't, Professor McGonagall fetched them for you. In the rush I didn't get a chance to give them to you".

At the bottom of the stairs they found themselves back in the shops back room with Charlie, Neville, George and Angelina. Almost immediately Charlie stepped forward asking questions.

"Harry what happened upstairs? Where's Ginny? Is that Ollivander?"

Harry held a hand up to stop Charlie's barrage of question's and turned to the three girls who were levitating the men.

"Take those three outside and put them with the others. Tell Lee, Parvati, Seamus and Dean to stand guard over the men we have captured. I don't want any harm to come to them. Then come back inside we are sticking with our current partners" said Harry.

"Harry why are you concerned for their well being, they are kidnappers who still have our sister, your girlfriend hidden away some where" said Charlie heatedly his voice rapidly rising.

"I'm well aware of what they are Charlie. I'm also aware of what we are not and we are not Auror's Charlie. We are currently conducting what is technically an illegal raid on a privately owned business and I don't want them to walk away free because they claimed we harmed them in anger. In answer to your other questions, we found three men asleep upstairs, one of which was Ollivander who confirmed Ginny is being held in the cellar. YOU, Neville, George and Angelina are going to stand guard while me, Katie, Ron, Alicia, Hermione and Susan go downstairs"

For a second Harry thought Charlie was going to argue with him, but after a pause he nodded his head in agreement. At that point Katie, Alicia and Susan returned.

"Everything OK outside?" asked Harry.

"For now it is" answered Katie "We quickly updated everyone on what we had found so far and Bill told us he had been constantly monitoring the jinx and so far no one has tried to apparate out. Only problem is we appear to be slowly attracting a crowd outside. Luna and Lee are keeping people at bay for now"

"Right follow me we are going after Ginny" said Harry.

Walking back into the shop Harry lit his wand using Lumos. A quick search behind the shop's counter revealed the trapdoor Ollivander had told them about. It was bigger than Harry had expected and lifting it up revealed a short set of stairs that were lit by lights from the bottom of the stairs. Leading the way, Harry was once again followed first by Katie, then Ron and Alicia and then Hermione and Susan. At the bottom of the stairs there was an open space that lead into a larger area. With no door to hind behind, Harry leant against the wall and cautiously glanced around the edge. His position prevented him from being able to see the entire room. What he could see clearly though was Ginny. She was sat in the centre of the room still tied to the chair. Her head was drooped forward and he assumed she was asleep, though she kept on making sudden jerking movements as if something was trying to wake her. Suddenly Ginny's head snapped up, her body stiffened and she cried out in pain.

"AGGHHH"

"Quiet girl" Came a familiar oily sounding voice.

"Perhaps if you did something about my ankle I wouldn't be crying out in pain so much" snapped Ginny.

"I told you I'm not a healer. Now keep quiet".

Harry couldn't help but smile. Despite everything that had happened to her this last year, she was still fighting back. As he was watching Ginny he saw that she was looking around the room. As she looked in the direction of the stairs, Harry risked leaning out further so she could see him. Having seen Harry, Ginny briefly froze, while her eyes went wide. Harry quickly pointed down before withdrawing further behind the wall. Thankfully Ginny understood what he meant and put her head down as it had been before but at a slight angle so she could see Harry. Having caught her eye again Harry pointed to his right, behind Ginny where the voice had come from. Ginny moved her left hand slightly and held out two fingers, meaning there was two men behind her. When he pointed to his left Ginny kept her fist bunched and carefully shook her head. Nodding his head in understanding to Ginny, Harry stepped back to speak to the others.

Not wanting the two men to discover them Harry spoke in what was barely a whisper. "Ginny is tied to a chair in the centre of the room. Two men are somewhere behind her. Me and Katie are protecting Ginny. You four are taking the two men out"

Everyone nodded their understanding and waited for Harry to give the signal to move. Once again he held up three fingers to do a silent count down. On the count of zero he stepped out into the room, hoping they would have the element of surprise. Moving as quickly as he could across the room towards Ginny, He was taken by surprise when he saw a spell coming straight for him. Instinctly he dropped to the floor and rolled and ended up at Ginny's feet. Unfortunately in the rush across the room Katie hadn't seen the spell, ran straight into it instead of Harry and fell to the floor unconscious. Suddenly finding himself with two people to protect, Harry realised he needed to get the two girls closer together so he could protect them at the same time. Scrambling back up to his knees he pointed his right arm with his wand down Ginny's left side and raised a shield, while at the same time he grabbed the chair arm on Ginny's right hand side and pulled the chair over sideways, bringing it crashing to the floor. Ginny's only response was to scream "HARRY" as she fell to the floor unable to protect herself. Keeping a tight grip on his wand he put his arm between Ginny's head and the floor so she wouldn't hurt it when she hit the floor. Harry realised he had left himself pinned to the floor underneath Ginny but he now had the three of them behind his shield and protected. As Harry had been pulling Ginny to the floor Ron and Alicia had entered the room. Working well together, Alicia had raised a shield that she was keeping both herself and Ron behind, while Ron fired stunners at the two men. Not expecting an attack in the shop neither man had prepared any defences in the cellar or agreed on any tactics. Both Borgin and his fellow kidnapper were fighting for themselves. Ron seemingly realised this and using his experience to his advantage focussed his attacks on the assistant, who couldn't defend himself quick enough and soon fell to the floor unconscious to one of Ron's stunners. Finding himself alone Borgin focused his attacks on Ron and failed to see Hermione and Susan step into the room. Using the same tactics as Ron and Alicia, they stepped out with Hermione behind Susan's shield. With Borgin distracted Hermione fired a single stunner rendering Borgin unconscious and bringing the fight to an end.

The fight over Alicia and Susan immediately stepped forward and bound the two men while Ron went straight to Harry and Ginny and Hermione went to Katie, waking her up. As he lay on his side on the floor Harry found himself looking straight into Ginny's eye's. Without breaking eye contact with Harry, Ginny started talking.

"So hey" said Ginny.

"Hey" replied Harry.

"Do you think you …" started Ginny before Harry cut her off by pulling himself forward and kissing her fiercely.

After a full minute of watching them kiss Ron decided to get their attention "Hmm Hmm, don't you two think you would be better of doing that else where and preferably when my sister isn't tied to a chair"

"How I choose to kiss my boyfriend is my business not yours thank you very much" replied Ginny.

"Maybe, but you are tied to a chair, in the cellar of the creepiest shop in the wizarding world, with two tied up kidnappers and your brother behind you and four more brothers upstairs who are currently unaware you are safe and rescued" said Ron.

"He does have a point" conceded Harry "Can you pick the chair back up mate?"

As Ron grabbed the back of Ginny's chair and started to pull it up, Harry managed to pull his arm out and helped by pushing from bellow. Unfortunately they both forgot about Ginny's ankle until it was too late and dropped her chair back onto four legs, jarring her leg and ankle.

"Arrrggghhh" screamed Ginny.

"Perhaps a stretcher?" suggested Alicia.

"We would never get it up the stairs with Ginny on it" replied Susan.

"I'll go and get Bill" said Ron "He knows some better first aid with being a curse breaker"

As the others had been talking Harry had untied Ginny and stood holding her hand. Judging by how tightly she was holding his hand her ankle was bothering her more than she wanted to let on.

"Susan, Alicia will you take those two outside please and tell Charlie, Percy and George they can come down. Hermione would you send a patronus message to Arthur and Molly please" asked Harry.

Before too long they were joined in the cellar by Ginny's brothers and Bill conjured a magical cast that kept her foot immobile while allowing her to walk a short distance without damaging it further. By the time they got outside Kingsley had arrived with a team of Auror's. Some were keeping the growing crowd at bay with the help from the DA members. While most were processing the captured kidnappers. As they stepped out onto the street Harry saw that Borgin had been revived by someone and was staring angrily at the ground refusing to answer any questions. Harry who was supporting Ginny called Bill over and asked him to take over for a moment. As soon as Bill was supporting Ginny, Harry calmly walked up to shop owner.

"Mr Borgin" began Harry.

"What do you want?" asked Borgin his voice filled with anger.

"I believe we have a trade to complete"

"You what?"

Moving slowly and calmly Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out the two pieces of the Elder wand and placed them one at a time in the top pocket of Borgin's overcoat.

"What's this then?" asked Borgin confused.

"The girl for the Elder wand. That was the deal wasn't it? Well I have the girl and you have your precious wand. Enjoy".

"It's in PIECES" exclaimed Borgin.

"Yes it is".

"So now you have the girl you no longer need the wand so you've snapped it? Or have you just given me a fake to torment me?"

"Oh it's the real Elder wand Mr Borgin. I snapped it shortly after the Hogwarts battle, when I realised I didn't need it, didn't want it and sure as hell didn't want people like you attacking me in order to gain possession of it. Good day Mr Borgin"

With that Harry left a stunned looking Borgin to return to Ginny, taking his place by her side.

 _A/N:- If anyone is wondering about the layout of Borgin and Burkes, I should explain i have had to make it up as i couldnt find any sort of description of its layout anywhere. I have based it's layout loosely on a traditional British corner shop, which consists of a mixture of a shop on the ground floor and living quarters which would mostly be upstairs. Once again thanks for reading._


	26. Chapter 26 Statements and Bonds

_A/N Hey all sorry its been a while writers block is a bitch._

 _I just want to explain at the end of this chapter is a scene that involves a discussion about magical bonds between people and I've realised it may seem that I am trying to turn the story into a soulbond fic. That is not my what i am going to do, I have had an idea which will involve magical bonds between people but will go in a different direction._

 _As allways thanks to Mdauben for your comment on the last chapter and i hope you all enjoy this chapter._

 **Chapter 26 Statements and Bonds**

Harry woke to an all too familiar sight of white walls and white bed sheets. However the one thing that was different on this occasion was the presence of the red head currently asleep on his chest. The two of them sharing a bed while in the hospital wing of Hogwarts easily explained the blinds around their bed.

Looking down at Ginny, Harry found himself thinking back to the previous day, it had been past midnight when they had got back to Hogwarts. Ginny had wanted to go home as soon as Madam Pomfrey had fixed her ankle, but neither Madam Pomfrey, Molly or Harry would allow it. Ginny in response had stubbornly refused to take a sleeping draft, not that it was needed, five minutes after getting changed she was fast asleep.

Harry couldn't help but wonder if there would be any repercussions from the day before. Partly this was because as a group of civilians they had conducted a raid on a shop. Another part of his concern was centred around the Elder wand, he couldn't help but worry he had made a mistake by confirming he had been the wands master, but this was tempered by the fact it was now public knowledge that the Elder wand was now snapped in two. However his biggest cause for concern came from what happened just before they left. The plan had been to get Ginny out of the shop, apparate to Hogwarts then get Ginny onto a stretcher so she didn't have to walk any further on her broken ankle. Unfortunately Borgin hadn't been graceful in defeat. Having gotten over his shock of Harry giving him the broken Elder wand, he had taken to throwing vile insults aimed mostly at Ginny. This had proven to be the breaking point for Ginny, turning calmly to Harry she had asked for her wand, which Harry still had in his pocket, having picked it up after the attack. Once armed she had, with Harry's help, proceeded to walk away from the shop before turning around to face it. As Borgin continued his vile tirade, Ginny sent a series of Reductor curses into the shop through the open door. Briefly Borgin had been shocked into silence but then continued his angry stream of insults. The more he had insulted her the more spells Ginny had sent into the shop. In all honesty Harry thought they might still be there if Kingsley hadn't intervened. No on had moved to stop Ginny and Kingsley had simply advised Borgin to shut up before she completely destroyed his shop. Though on reflection Harry couldn't help but wonder if Kingsley had actually wanted Borgin to continue. The sound of Madam Pomfrey's voice brought Harry out of his musings.

"Mr Potter I really am fed up of seeing you in this hospital wing" came Madam Pomfrey's voice as she came around the blind.

"Shh" shushed Harry "She's still asleep"

"I'm not surprised after yesterday" said Madam Pomfrey in a quieter voice.

"Neither am I" replied Harry "Anyway how can you moan at me this time? I'm not the injured person this time"

"Yet you're still here Mr Potter, I'll come back when Miss Weasley is awake"

Once Madam Pomfrey's footsteps had faded away Ginny whispered to Harry.

"Has she gone?"

"Yeah, how long have you been awake?" asked Harry.

"Since just before she came behind the blinds"

"And why are you trying to avoid Madam Pomfrey?"

"I'm quite comfortable and happy where I am right now and she would only spoil it by making us get up".

"True" said Harry chuckling "I doubt we will get much longer though"

"I'll take what I can"

As it turned out it was Molly and Arthur's arrival ten minutes later that forced them to get up, Ginny might have been able to fool Madam Pomfrey but there was no fooling her mother.

"Morning Harry" said Molly as she came round the blind and saw that he was awake. After a brief pause where she took in the sight of Ginny lying on Harry's chest "Morning Ginny, don't you think it's time you got up? Besides anything else you are in a school"

"Molly she's..." began Harry before Molly cut him off.

"Don't lie on Ginny's behalf Harry. I can tell when she's awake, can't I Ginny dear?"

Ginny responded by nodding her head into Harry's chest before moving so they could both move into sitting position's next to each other.

"You could have let us have five more minutes" complained Ginny.

"You've had twelve hours. Don't push your luck young lady" replied Molly "How's your ankle today?"

"It's fine, no pain, like I told you all last night" said Ginny who finished by glaring at Harry.

"Better being safe than sorry" replied Harry. It was at this point that Harry realised Arthur hadn't stepped behind the blinds and was stood there looking at the floor. "Are you not joining us Arthur?"

"I … er … I" stammered Arthur.

"Dad what's the matter?" asked Ginny. When he didn't respond she turned to her mum "Mum what's up with dad?"

"He erm …." said Molly before stopping.

Ginny, looking worried finally turned to Harry "Harry?"

Harry looked over at Arthur, he didn't want to hurt Arthur, but he didn't want to lie to Ginny either. Looking his girlfriend in the eye Harry suddenly realised he was worrying for nothing.

"Ginny when we were looking for you, your dad made a mistake that any father would have made under the circumstances, hell I nearly made the same mistake, and it's obvious he is feeling guilty. Though I suspect the only person holding anything against him is himself"

Turning back to her father Ginny stood and walked the few short steps over to him and pulled her father into a hug. "Don't blame yourself for something any parent would have done"

"But Gin I..." started Arthur.

"No buts dad, yesterday couldn't have been easy for any of you, especially you and mum. Lets be thankful that it ended well"

With Ginny's words Arthur held his daughter tighter than before, while they were hugging Harry glanced over at Molly, who smiled and mouthed the words thank you. When Ginny and her dad parted, Arthur sat in a spare chair next to Molly and Ginny sat down next to Harry without actually asking what her dad had done.

"Now once you have been given the all clear by Madam Pomfrey you two are coming back to the Burrow. Arrangements have been made for the two of you to have today off and come back to school tomorrow" said Molly.

"Perhaps we can finish our valentines day" suggested Ginny leaning into Harry.

"I doubt it I'm afraid" came Molly's reply "You two need to give statements to the Auror's, they will be coming round this afternoon"

At Molly's words Ginny pulled her face but didn't say anything.

"Perhaps if we get a move on and let the Auror's know we are at home we might have time to go and see Teddy later" suggested Harry.

Hearing Harry's suggestion resulted in a smile from Ginny and sparkle to appear in her eyes.

"MADAM POMFREY!" yelled Ginny causing everyone to jump.

"For Merlin's sake Ginny you are in a hospital wing" scolded Molly as Madam Pomfrey came hurrying over.

"Miss Weasley please show some decorum, you are a patient in my hospital wing"

"Yes speaking of which I need you to give me the all clear so I can leave thank you"

"And why the sudden rush might I ask?"

"I need to go home so I can give a statement to an Auror so I can go and see my godson" said Ginny rather quickly and impatiently.

Madam Pomfrey paused for a moment as she tried to make sense of Ginny's rushed sentence.

"Look at it this way Madam Pomfrey" said Harry "The sooner you check Ginny's ankle and give her the all clear the sooner we can get out of your hospital wing and stop disturbing you"

Madam Pomfrey's stern gaze passed back and forth between Harry and Ginny. "You make a good point Mr Potter. Now keep still Miss Weasley"

Madam Pomfrey waved her wand over Ginny a few times before confirming that her ankle was healed and she could leave. Thirty minutes later Harry and Ginny were sat in the Burrows kitchen having a late lunch. When they had arrived at the Burrow Arthur had offered to go into the ministry and inform the Auror team that they were home. Harry had fire called Andromeda and checked she would be in that afternoon and that it would be OK to call round if they had time. They had barely finished lunch when Arthur returned along with Kingsley and two men.

"Harry, Ginny how are you both?" asked Kingsley.

"We are fine thank you Kingsley" answered Ginny "Glad to be home finally"

"I'm not surprised" started Kingsley "I'm afraid I can't stay long, but I wanted to see you both after yesterday and to introduce these two gentlemen. The gentleman on the right is Gawain Robards the head of the Auror department and the gentleman on the left is senior Auror Williamson. They are here to take your statements and ask you some questions about yesterday"

"Afternoon" said Robards looking serious.

"Afternoon" chorused Harry and Ginny.

After Kingsley had left the two Auror's sat with Harry and Ginny in the kitchen while Molly and Arthur retired to the living room. They Auror's started by getting Harry and Ginny to lead them through the events of the day, starting from when they had woken up to when they had returned to Hogwarts. After they had given a series of events the two Auror's handed Harry and Ginny a pile of photographs. Each picture was a mug shot of the kidnappers that Harry and the DA had managed to capture. Intent on covering all of the bases the two Auror's wanted to know if either Harry or Ginny had seen any of the kidnappers before even in passing. Harry confirmed that the only two kidnappers he could identify were Ollivander and Borgin. Ginny admitted that she could only identify Borgin because she had been told who he was after she had been rescued, the only person she could identify was Ollivander. As Harry was handing the pictures back Ginny suddenly grabbed his wrist and snatched the pictures back and started going through them a second time in a near frenzy.

"Gin?" said Harry.

"Miss Weasley have you recognised someone?" asked Robards.

At first Ginny didn't say anything but went through the pictures a third time at a more reduced pace, before she finally looked up.

"They are not there" exclaimed Ginny.

"Who is not there?" asked Robards confused "These are all of the kidnappers that were captured at the shop"

"Gin who's missing?" asked Harry.

"Our attacker" exclaimed Ginny though this only served to confuse Harry even further.

"OH for Merlin's sake Harry. When we were first attacked we were in the park and we were attacked by a single person who followed us to that side street. When we fought back they fell over which caused their hood to fall down revealing long blond hair. No one in these pictures has long blond hair"

Despite knowing she was right Harry found himself going through the pictures once again himself.

"She's right" confirmed Harry "I can't believe I missed that. More to the point how did we miss them at the shop?"

"More likely they weren't there when you started your raid" answered Robards "I'd guess they had been sent out on patrol or for supplies, came back to find the raid in progress, so they just wondered off".

Harry nodded in agreement, but for some reason he couldn't explain the answer didn't feel right. As he sat there contemplating their blonde haired attacker Harry realised there was something else bothering him about the attack.

"Why did they attack the way they did?" asked Harry.

"What do you mean?" asked Robards.

"They clearly knew where we were in the park, hell they didn't even bother checking who was in the gazebo before they started attacking it, they knew it was us. Yet they only sent one person into the park and used most of their forces to attack the town. If all they wanted was to kidnap Ginny in order to gain the elder wand, why not send everyone to the park, why attack the town at all? If they had sent everyone to the park they could have overwhelmed us and taken Ginny with very little effort. As it was they gave us a chance to escape that nearly worked"

Robards paused for few moments, clearly thinking about what Harry had just said, before answering. "My initial response is to say they were amateurs who didn't really know where you were and got lucky. But you're right Mr Potter that doesn't really add up. We are going to have to interview them again and try to find out who this blond haired attacker is and their reasons for attacking the town"

After that the two Auror's started packing their stuff up preparing to leave.

"We may have to return to ask some additional questions, but we will try to inform you in advance instead of just turning up" said Robards is there anything I can help you with before we leave?"

"I do have a question for you before you leave" said Harry.

"What's that Mr Potter?"

"Is there likely to be any repercussions from yesterday?"

"What do you mean" asked Robards

"I was referring to the fact that the raid was conducted by a group of civilians and the fact that Ginny sent a series of Reductor curses into the shop?"

"Ah I see" started Robards "There will have to be an investigation but I don't think there will be a problem. Your raid was conducted with permission of the minister of magic, plus you only used non violent means to subdue the kidnappers and ensured their safety once caught. As for what happened after the raid Miss Weasley was clearly provoked in front of witnesses. Admittedly some might argue her response was a tad over the top, but I think we will be over looking that point under the circumstances. Off the record I suspect most of the aurors in the department have wanted to do something similar to that shop at some point in their careers"

Smiling at the head Auror's answer Harry and Ginny said goodbye and waited for them to leave via the floo. As soon as they were gone Harry quickly fire called Andromeda to check it was still ok to call round and within five minutes of the Auror's leaving they were sat in Andromedas living room with Ginny bouncing a giggling Teddy on her knee.

"I'm glad to see the two of you are faring alright after yesterdays excitement" said Andromeda with a smile.

"Yes thank you" replied Ginny "The only real problem was a broken ankle one of the kidnappers gave me" as Ginny finished talking she gave Harry a sour look, clearly still upset at not being allowed to go home after her ankle had been healed.

"Don't pout at me I'm not the only one who said no" said Harry grinning.

"Have I missed something?" asked Andromeda smiling."

Between them Harry and Ginny told Andromeda the rest of the story while passing Teddy back and forth between them.

"Has he been alright" asked Ginny suddenly looking worried "We didn't get chance to check him yesterday"

"He is fine Ginny, luckily he had two wonderful people looking out for him" answered Andromeda.

"I was worried you wouldn't want us to see him again"

"That would make two of you" said Andromeda while glancing at Harry "and I'll tell you the same thing I told Harry. I wont punish you for the actions of others"

At that point Teddy made it known he was hungry, having helped to get Teddy's dinner ready, Harry and Ginny headed home themselves.

A week after the kidnapping Harry and Ginny were sat in the Defence against the Dark Arts professors office, Harry was reading up on the lesson plan for his next lesson while Ginny was working on her homework, when there was a knock on the door. Calling come in Harry was surprised to see Madam Pomfrey enter the office.

"Madam Pomfrey I wasn't expecting you" said Harry.

"This is something of a house call, I need to have a chat with you and Miss Weasley" answered Madam Pomfrey.

Glancing over at Ginny who nodded her agreement and put her homework to one side.

"Is there something wrong with either one of us" asked Ginny.

"No there is nothing wrong with you. But I believe I have discovered something that effects the two of you and I want to bring it to your attention" Looking at the two teenagers sat in front of her Madam Pomfrey realised her words had scared them "I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you. Whenever I am right or wrong this isn't anything to worry about. I just felt you should be informed"

Seeing the looks on both of their faces change from one of concern to one of relief and confusion, Madam Pomfrey continued.

"I wanted to talk to you about the life debt that exists between the two of you"

"Life debt?" asked Harry confused.

"I think she is referring to the life debt I owe you from when you saved me in the chamber Harry" replied Ginny.

"You don't owe me a life debt Ginny" insisted Harry.

"Unfortunately the magic involved isn't as simple as that Mr Potter" stated Madam Pomfrey before continuing "Now before I go any further you need to understand that some of what I am about to tell you is known fact and some is theoretical. But so far the theory appears to fit where you two are concerned"

Seeing Harry and Ginny both nod their understanding she continued.

"OK it is a known fact that when a wizard or witch saves the life of another wizard or witch a magical bond is created between them. This bond can effect the behaviour of the person who was saved as the magic will urge them to repay their debt. What is also known fact is the strength of the urge to repay their debt can vary from case to case depending on how the two people view the bond. So in some case's similar to yours, where the life debt is disregarded by one or both parties, the urge to repay the debt is small, so it doesn't effect their normal lives. In comparison if both parties are aware of the life debt and the saver feels owed and the saved person feels as if they owe the person who saved them, the urge to repay can be very strong to the point that the person who was saved will repeatedly put themselves in harms way to protect the person who saved them"

"Judging by the way you keep saving me Harry, people would be forgiven for thinking I had saved you in the chamber" joked Ginny.

"If anything Miss Weasley you should be constantly feeling the need to protect Mr Potter, but as I said I believe your case has gone past known facts and into the theoretical side of life debts and bonds"

"What do you think has happened to us?" asked Harry.

"Because life debt bonds are impossible to predict and coupled with the fact most people who have them are unaware of them, very little research has been done on them. However there is a recent theory that is based around the fact that the bond strength can change depending on the emotional state of the pair involved. The wizard who came up with the theory suggested that with a big enough emotional upheaval from both parties, the nature of the bond could change. He went on to theorise that the most likely cause of an emotional upheaval that could change the nature of the bond would be when the two parties fell in love. He finished by hypothesising that if such a change occurred the end result would be a magical bond that connected two people emotionally, possibly enhancing there feelings towards each other and making them somewhat emotionally dependant on each other".

"And you think this is happened to me and Harry" asked Ginny

"Yes I do, though I can't prove it either way"

Harry who had been sitting quietly thinking over what Madam Pomfrey had said finally turned to Ginny before speaking.

"If you think about it. It does make some sense"

"What do you mean Harry?" asked Ginny looking confused and a tad alarmed.

"The life debt bond was formed at the end of my second year. But due to the fact we didn't know about it and coupled with the fact I never considered you to be in my debt the bond wouldn't have effected either of us, until fate handed us a situation where we were together and I was at risk. Over the next three years we slowly built up a friendship, which ended with us fighting against the death eaters in the department of mysteries. Knowing you, you probably would have insisted on coming along but the life debt bond probably strengthened your resolve to come with me. Then in my sixth year I finally woke up to how I felt about you and we started dating. The events at the end of my fifth year and my changing feelings towards you are arguably where the emotional upheaval comes in or at least started. At the end of that year I broke up with you, then disappeared for nine months, then made you think I was dead before we finally got back together. All of these events effected both of us emotionally, also it's also been revealed that you were suffering from nightmares that only improved after we started spending time together, which would fit with the emotional dependency part of the theory"

Ginny didn't say anything and stayed still with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"As I said the second part is purely theoretical, it could just be chance that your case happens to fit the theory. I didn't want to worry either of you, but I felt you should be made aware" said Madam Pomfrey.

"How come you have ended up researching this?" asked Harry.

"I ended up talking to Molly after the first kidnapping. It came out we had both seen the emotional dependency coming from Ginny. I told Molly not to worry, but that I would look into it in case there was a problem we needed to know about"

"What does this mean for us?" asked Ginny "Will it have an effect on our relationship?"

"Assuming the theory is correct it shouldn't mean anything you need to worry about. The bond should only effect your relationship in that it will make your feelings towards each other stronger. The bond didn't force you to fall in love. It was your love for each other that caused the bond to change"


	27. Chapter 27 Apparation and Quiditch

_A/N Evening all. I just want to say my usual thanks to mdauben and EvaFanFic for their comments, and thank you to all of my new followers._

 _This chapter is intended as a mostly Fun chapter before we head into the final kidnapping in the chapters that follow._

 _Hope you all enjoy, please leave any reviews and comments you have._

 _AceBiscuit_

Chapter 27 Apparation and Quiditch

The end of February brought with it two things, the first of the rescheduled Griffindor Quiditch matches and the second was the announcement of apparation classes for the sixth and seventh years. Fed up with using the floo or being taken side along Ginny signed up immediately. Harry surprised everyone by signing up as well.

The Saturday morning of the first apparation lesson saw Harry and Ginny sat in the Burrows kitchen having a late breakfast with Ginny questioning Harry as to why he had signed up for the apparation lessons.

"Harry what are you taking the apparation lessons for?" asked Ginny "You can apparate just fine"

"If I can apparate so well how is it I nearly killed myself two months ago?" responded Harry "Besides which I don't have my license yet"

"Harry what happened in December wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for Carrow and as for your license I'm sure if you asked they would let you simply take your test without redoing the lessons"

"I'm sure they would Gin, but if it ever came out I had been allowed to take the test without the lessons so soon after my accident I would at the very least have my license revoked, in the long run I'll be better of retaking the lessons. Besides which there is another reason I want to retake the lessons"

"What's that Harry?"asked Ginny softly.

Harry hesitated before answering "I er...I need to build my confidence back up. Even if I already had my license, I think I would want to retake the lessons. I haven't wanted to apparate for fear of hurting myself"

With Harry's confession, Ginny stopped her questioning and lead the way to the fireplace when they had both finished eating.

Walking into the great hall and seeing the familiar hoops lying on the floor Harry felt a sense of unease settle over him, without realising it he took Ginny's hand and held on tight.

As they walked in the same apparation teacher Wilkie Twycross from Harry's sixth year came over to speak to them.

"Mr Potter I thought it had to be a mistake when I saw your name on the list of students wishing to take the class. I remember you being perfectly competent in it and just needed to wait for your birthday" said Twycross.

"Thank you, I was ready to take test but I had to go on the run before I could take the test, and err some recent events have shaken my confidence in apparating, so I have decided to start from scratch" replied Harry.

"A wise decision" said Twycross seriously "It is not good idea to attempt to apparate if you are not confident of your capabilities. However if you prove yourself competent and confident I don't see why we couldn't put you on an accelerated course and take your test after six weeks"

"Maybe" said Harry cautiously "I don't want any special treatment"

"I wouldn't suggest it Mr Potter if I hadn't seen you apparate before. You maybe surprised by how quickly your confidence returns"

At that Twycross left them and wondered to the front of the great hall and called out for the attention of the class. Having given the same speech he gave before he eventually instructed the students to stand in front of a pair of hoops.

Stepping forward Harry and Ginny stood in front of hoops that were next to each other. With his heart racing his nerves started getting the better of him, Harry failed to notice the odd looks that the assembled class was giving him or the fierce glares Ginny was sending anyone who looked at Harry with an inquisitive look on their face's.

As the class started attempting to apparate for the first time, Harry found himself hesitating memories of his accident rising to the surface. Although she was concerned for him, Ginny understood she couldn't help Harry get over this particular fear, he had to take this next step by himself.

Taking a deep breath Harry focused on hoop in front of him and mentally reviewed the three D's of apparition, Destination, Determination, Deliberation and twisted on the spot. With a loud crack he apparated. Opening his eyes and looking down Harry saw he had apparated successfully but had over shot the hoop and landed on the other side of it.

Looking around Harry saw Ginny smiling at him while the rest of the class starred at him. Thankfully Twycross stepped in, explaining that Harry was taking the course as revision before taking his test. After that the rest of class went by without any problems, although Ginny wasn't able to apparate during her first class, Harry was able to start rebuilding his confidence.

That night Harry found Ginny sat in bed reading. The afternoon had been filled with discussions about apparation and its difficulties with different members of the family. As a result Harry was expecting Ginny to be reading a book on apparation and was surprised to find her reading a book titled "Magical Bonds and Their Manipulation".

"What's the book for?" asked Harry.

"I wanted to read up on what Madam Pomfrey told us, so I asked which book she had read and she lent me this" answered Ginny.

"Do you not trust her" asked Harry confused.

"Of course I do, but if the theory turns out to be correct, the debt bond could end up effecting us in some unforeseeable way in the future and we can't rely on Madam Pomfrey being there. So I thought it best to learn as much as I could"

"Have you learnt anything else?" asked Harry who couldn't help but agree with her.

"Only that his theory concerning life debt bonds is one of his more believable theories"

"Who is the author?"

"John Mehr" Said Ginny showing Harry the bock cover.

"Hmm his surname makes him sound German" commented Harry.

"As the books in English I would guess English or possibly American with German descendants"

"What other theories did he have?"

"He believed he had enough evidence to back up his theory that life debt bonds can be changed through the emotions of the two people involved, as well as what Madam Pomfrey told us, he took his theories even further. He theorised that if a bond could form by accident, then a bond could be made to happen on purpose and then used his evidence of bonds changing through emotions to theorise that a bond could be forced to change at will. His only concession is that magical research was behind his theories and he didn't know how it would be achieved"

Harry was quiet for a moment before responding "It sounds like he might have been onto something, but as the theory is miles ahead of the research it would explain why Madam Pomfrey told us not to worry"

"Hmmm" was Ginny's only response.

"What's wrong" asked Harry.

"I realise I'm being paranoid but when has your life ever been that simple? You spent seven years fighting Voldemort, defeat him and come home, only to spend the last 6 months dealing with an escaped death eater, wands swapping masters, elder wand hunting lunatics and idiot brothers. If this guys theories tun out to be true and knowing our luck they probably will be, we can guarantee it's going to spell trouble for us"

Harry didn't respond at first, he wanted to tell her she was being paranoid and they had nothing to worry about. But he couldn't help but admit she had a point.

"Perhaps it is time we asked for help" mused Harry.

"Like who and why?"

"We need to know if this guys theories have any credibility to them. So to begin with I was thinking we could ask Hermione, no one can research quite like her. If we can't discover anything that could help by ourselves we can go to Kingsley, see if the ministry has ever come across anything to deny or back up this guys theories"

Ginny looked relieved as if the thought of asking for help and doing something made her feel better.

"We can ask her in the morning. Right now I need some sleep"

"Yes it wouldn't look good if the team captain fell asleep on her broom" said Harry while moving over to his bed.

"Co-captain" muttered Ginny while using her wand to turn the lights off.

The next morning Harry and Ginny cornered Hermione in her room before she went downstairs for breakfast. Though she thought they were both being paranoid she agreed to help them, if only to give them both some peace of mind. Seeing a look of relief pass over Ginny's face, Harry decided to write to Kingsley sooner rather than later.

Breakfast itself seemed an odd affair for Harry. Match day mornings he was used to sitting in the great hall suffering from prematch nerves, struggling to eat while people called out greetings and wished him good luck. This time he was sat in the Burrows kitchen, knowing full well he wasn't playing but still feeling nervous for Ginny's sake. Giving her a sideways glance he saw that she had barely touched her breakfast.

"Come on Gin, you need to keep your strength up" commented Harry while forcing himself to eat more of his own breakfast.

"Easy for you to say, you not playing" replied Ginny a tad testily.

"True" Harry acknowledged "But don't forget you are sat in your mums kitchen, not the great hall, you are going to have to eat something or she wont let you leave"

With Harry's words Ginny muttered something that sounded like "Bloody Mothers" before carrying on with her breakfast.

Breakfast finished they went to get changed, Harry into jeans and jumper and Ginny into her quidditch robes, before finally meeting Ron And Hermione in the living room, so they could floo to Hogwarts together.

Before too long Harry, Ron and Hermione were finding seats in the stands waiting for the match to start. Ginny had separated from them in the entrance hall having met her co-captain, Demelza Robins. Ginny and Demelza had agreed that the Demelza as co-captain would organise and run training sessions, while Ginny would use her experience to take charge during the match.

Once the stands were full, the new commentator started to announce the teams. The Slytherin team was made up of players that Harry hadn't come across before. T Lewis as keeper and captain, Grindon and Hine as the beaters, Knott, Heath and Buxton as the chasers and Higton as the seeker. One thing Harry noticed immediately is that Lewis was the biggest player of the team and he had chosen a team that was comprised of average sized students with athletic builds, rather than the big, bulky and brutish Slytherin teams of old.

The second thing Harry noticed was the Slytherin team wasn't booed as it walked onto the pitch. Instead they were given cheers from the Slytherin students and a respectful applause from the rest of the school.

The response from the school for the Gryffindor team was definitely more favourable, each player received their own cheer from at least three quarters of the students. Coote's and Peakes flew out together to a large applause, Sharrock went next and was followed Davis the seeker. After Davis came the Chasers, the first was S Lewis who Harry learnt was T Lewis younger brother. Demelza as co-captain flew out next, leaving Ginny as the match captain to come out last. As she walked out Ginny looked shocked as she received the biggest applause of all.

Having shaken hands with T Lewis, she took off and hovered in the air near the centre of the pitch. Harry was sat motionless waiting for the balls to be released, his eyes fixed on Ginny.

The second the balls were released Ginny moved, accelerating straight towards the Quaffle, coming for the Quaffle from the opposite direction was Buxton, both chasers seemed to be utterly determined. Harry felt like his heart was in his throat, his pulse racing as Ginny and Buxton faced off in their mid-air game of chicken. At the last second Buxton pulled up and to the left, missing Ginny by what seemed like millimetres. Ginny meanwhile flew straight on and grabbed the Quaffle with her left hand. Tucking it into her side she barrel rolled away from a Bludger and flew on. Harry let go of a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding.

"Dear god Gin don't do that again" Harry muttered to himself.

As Harry was getting his breathing under control Ginny dived for the floor before levelling out at the last second and skimming across the grass mere inches of the floor, while weaving from side to side. Once she was near the Slytherin goalposts she pulled up and flew straight up in front of the centre goalpost, coming up underneath the Slytherin keeper T Lewis. Lewis clearly didn't know what to do, he had two seconds to decide on whenever to stay put, guard the centre goal and risk a collision or move and leave the centre goal open. Before he had a chance to decide Ginny rolled, changed direction and flew past the right hand goal. Throwing the Quaffle through the hoop and scoring the first points of the game.

Jumping up and cheering with everyone else Harry watched as Ginny righted her broom and swept back around towards the Gryffindor end. Knott, Buxton and Heath didn't waste any time, having retrieved the ball they instantly went on the attack flying in a line across the pitch passing the Quaffle back and forth, with no player holding the ball for two long. All three of the Slytherin chasers were seemingly un-fazed by Bludger's being sent their way by Cootes and Peakes, focusing more on avoiding the Gryffindor chasers. Harry quickly realised that T Lewis had actually picked a quidditch team based on skill rather than size and brute strength like Slytherin teams of old. Despite their best efforts the Gryffindor team they couldn't intercept the Quaffle and Knott scored through the right hoop to quickly level the score.

As the game started to wear on Harry could tell that Coote's and Peakes were working well together as they had when Harry was captain. Ginny and Demelza were working well together having played together in the past, S Lewis clearly had some skill but was struggling due to his lack of experience, where Ginny and Demelza seemed to know where the other was and could rely on each other, S Lewis was usually a second behind where he needed to be. One saving grace was the new keeper Sharrock, a fifth year girl who seemed to be a natural keeper, after the first couple of goals were scored by Slytherin, she seemed to be able to predict where they where going to aim and was soon saving two out of three of the Slytherins attempts. The only player Harry hadn't seen in action during the game was Davis the seeker. Davis was a scrawny fifth year, from a distance he appeared to have the perfect build for a seeker, only time would tell if he had the skill.

As Harry was analysing the Gryffindor players there was a sudden burst of movement that distracted everyone. Davis was diving towards the foot of the Slytherin goalposts with Higton the Slytherin seeker close behind. When they were six feet of the ground, Davis suddenly pulled up and flew between the goalposts, having faked seeing the snitch. Higton was taken by surprise and flew towards the ground desperately trying to pull up, at the last second his broom responded, he managed to level out inches above the floor, but was now flying at such a speed he couldn't swerve around the goalposts, attempting to fly between the two left hand goal posts he clipped the centre post. The force of the collision forced Higton off his broom and onto the floor, rolling until he came to a stop.

Madam Hooch called a stop to the game so Higton could be checked safely by Madam Pomfrey. After a couple of minutes Higton forced himself of the floor and climbed back onto his broom, while fighting off Madam Pomfrey, who eventually threw her arms in the air in frustration.

Back in the air Higton flew to his desired height and signalled to Madam Hooch he was ready to play. Flying to the centre of the pitch Madam Hooch released the Quaffle and signalled the restart. This time it was Demelza who faced off against Knott in the rush to get the Quaffle. Demelza's face off wasn't anywhere near as scary to watch as Ginny's had been, Knott pulled up and did a full left hand turn well in advance of Demelza. Harry realised Knott had done this in order to put himself level with Demelza while facing the same way as her. Having once righted his broom he looked once and swung to his left to bring him closer to Demelza, the moment he got close enough to grab the ball out of Demelza's hand, she simply let it go. Demelza and Knott flew on leaving the Quaffle behind, which fell straight into Ginny's waiting hands. Ball secure Ginny accelerated and flew past T Lewis to score through the centre goal.

Looking at his watch Harry saw that thirty minutes had gone buy and the score was fifty to eighty in favour of Gryffindor and Slytherin looked like they were capable of keeping up. Wondering where the snitch was Harry looked up at the two seekers. Davis was high up his head swinging back and forth clearly looking for the snitch. Higton however was flying much lower and didn't look comfortable or happy. Harry figured it was safe to assume he had been shaken up after his collision with the post and his fall.

Turning back to the rest of the game Harry saw Hine one of the Slytherin beater's hit a Bludger towards the Slytherin goals. Puzzled Harry watched the Bludger, wondering what he had been aiming at. Trying to look ahead of the Bludger Harry finally saw the intended target and leapt out of his seat.

"LOOK OUT!" screamed Harry in a fruitless attempt to warn Ginny.

Ginny was flying towards the Slytherin goal post with the Quaffle once again. The Bludger was flying towards Ginny from behind and she was so focused on her target she hadn't seen it. With a sense of inevitability the Bludger hit Ginny in her right hand side forcing her over sideways. Using a degree of skill Harry had not seen her display before Ginny used the momentum from the Bludger to perform an anticlockwise barrel roll, while managing to keep hold of the Quaffle. Finding herself in front of the Slytherin goals she made further use of the Bludger's momentum to bank left and score once again through the left hand goal.

Despite celebrating with everyone else, Harry couldn't help but keep a close eye on Ginny as she slowed down and turned around. She was sitting upright on her broom while rubbing her right hand side with her hand, on top of which she was clearly winded and was breathing heavily.

Ginny's condition didn't go unnoticed by the Slytherin team who started a fierce push against Gryffindor who were effectively down to two chasers. Before Ginny had a chance to recover Slytherin had scored three times in rapid succession bringing the scores to eighty to Slytherin and ninety to Gryffindor.

As the Slytherin's started another attack Ginny started shouting out orders to the Gryffindor team rallying them together for a counter attack.

The Slytherin chaser Heath was in possession of the Quaffle and flying down one side of the pitch, with Knott flying down the centre and Buxton on the far side, the Gryffindor chasers spread out to intercept each chaser. Ginny was flying towards Knott, Demelza towards Heath and S Lewis towards Buxton. While the Gryffindor chasers were spreading out the two beaters were gaining control of the Bludger's, without any obvious signal they simultaneously sent the two Bludger's at Heath and Knott.

Heath instinctively passed the Quaffle to Knott, who having swerved to miss the Bludger couldn't reach it. Ginny reached out with her right hand to grab it but her injury caused her cry out in pain and pull back.

Harry watched the Quaffle fly past Ginny and start falling to the ground, only to be caught by S Lewis who had dived right when the Quaffle had been thrown by Heath. S Lewis didn't waste anytime, tucking the ball into his side as he accelerated towards the Slytherin end with Ginny close behind.

Hurtling towards the Slytherin goal posts, S Lewis found himself face to face with his older brother, with no apparent intention of slowing down. As he approached his brother he pulled up and back taking himself into the top half of a loop. At the very top of the loop he let go of the Quaffle allowing it to fall into Ginny's waiting hands. Ginny carried on flying forwards giving the impression of being focused on the goals, as S Lewis flew downwards behind her. Then as S Lewis reached the bottom part of the loop Ginny in turn dropped the Quaffle into S Lewis's hands. With the Quaffle in hand S Lewis pulled back and to the left, Ginny swung right and up, leaving T Lewis confused and stuck in the middle. As he flew past the left hand goal S Lewis scored his first goal of the game.

From that point on S Lewis flew with a confidence he hadn't shown before allowing the Gryffindor's to change tactics. Demelza and S Lewis took over attacking the goals, while Ginny dropped back taking on a more defensive and support role.

Ginny dropping back and allowing Demelza and S Lewis to attack was a sure sign to Harry that Ginny was injured worse than she was likely to admit to. Looking around Harry saw that forty five minutes had past and the scores were now one hundred and fifty to Gryffindor and one hundred and ten to Slytherin. Suddenly wanting the game to finish Harry found himself looking for the snitch, despite knowing there was nothing he could do even if he found it.

A sudden movement caught his eye, Davis and Higton were side by side diving towards the floor straight across the pitch and through the current Slytherin attack, disrupting it and causing them to loose possession. Looking ahead of the seekers Harry saw a glint of gold near the floor and heading towards the Slytherin end. As they neared the floor Higton pulled up long before Davis who levelled out just above the floor and skimmed at speed just inches above the grass. Using the speed from his dive Davis quickly caught up with the snitch and had his left arm stretched out to grab it. Just as Davis was about to grab the snitch the earth in front of him exploded, causing him to fly through shower of dirt. Having flown through the dirt Davis came to an abrupt halt, and started rubbing his face, having been blinded by dirt getting into his eyes as he flew through the dirt.  
With a player blinded Madam Hooch stopped play so Madam Pomfrey could wash his eyes out, in the mean time Madam Hooch flew over to Grindon the Slytherin beater, berating him for being so reckless, Harry quickly realised he had sent a Bludger at Davis. It had missed and hit the floor in front of him causing the explosion of dirt Davis had flown through. Harry couldn't be sure if Grindon had been aiming for the floor or aiming for Davis himself, either way he had been successful in stopping Davis from catching the snitch. After a very brief pause Davis was flying again with a determined look on his face and robes that were wet from the water Madam Pomfrey had used to wash his eyes out.

As Davis took of Harry turned his attention back to Ginny again, who was hovering centre pitch and holding her right side where the Bludger had hit her. She like her teammates wore a determined expression on her face and was obviously determined to win the match, while trying to not show any pain.

With the restart the Gryffindor chasers surprised the Slytherin team by changing tactics once again. Rotating round again Ginny went on the attack with S Lewis flying along side her and Demelza flying behind. Having won possession of the Quaffle Ginny, S Lewis and Demelza stuck to a more traditional attack, passing the Quaffle back and forth between them. As they approached the goals once more, Demelza who was still behind Ginny and S Lewis was in possession, suddenly accelerated forwards flying between the other two and threw the Quaffle at the left hand goal. T Lewis who had been watching them approach swung to his right and used his broom to knock the Quaffle back and away from the Slytherin goal. Unfortunately for him the Gryffindor's had anticipated this and the Quaffle was easily caught by Ginny who took advantage of the keeper being out of place to score through the right hand hoop.

A wave of excitement travelled through the spectators, causing Harry to look away from Ginny. At the far end of the pitch Higton was turning at speed in front the spectator stands with Davis close behind and trying to catch up. Pulling out of the turn and travelling down the side of the pitch they both suddenly pulled upwards before briefly levelling out and banking left at speed. Higton was close to the snitch but Davis had managed to turn tighter than Higton on both manoeuvrers and had caught up and was now almost level with the Slytherin seeker.

The two seekers followed the snitch across the pitch, the snitch didn't change direction until it arrived at the stands where it turned right, focused on the snitch the pair of seekers were seemingly oblivious to where they were and turned after the snitch as they flew over the stand causing the spectators in that stand to duck on impulse. Suddenly the snitch turned back over the pitch and dived towards the floor once again. Higton and Davis both dived after the snitch. Harry sat watching them expecting Higton to pull up first, however it was Davis who surprised him by pulling up first. At first Harry was confused, Davis had shown more skill and bravery in his earlier dives, until he realised that Davis hadn't completely pulled out of the dive. He had pulled up slightly so he was now travelling towards the floor at a shallower angle than before. Harry realised he was trying to predict the Snitch's next move and had pulled up slightly hoping that the snitch was going to level out and fly straight. The angle he was now flying at would put him in front of Higton and closer to the snitch assuming he had guessed the Snitch's next move correctly. It was a risky manoeuvrer if the snitch didn't pull up and fly straight he would end up out of position and unable to catch up.

As it turned out Davis's guess was half right. The snitch did pull up and fly straight briefly allowing Davis to put himself between Higton and the snitch. However the snitch didn't fly straight for long and suddenly and tightly turned left. Davis managed to turn left just as quickly as the snitch, but did so while reaching out to grab it. The sudden turn while off balanced caused him to fall sideways. As he still had hold of his broom with his left hand and left foot he swung around his boom while outstretched, doing a series of barrel rolls around his broom. With Davis flying out of control Higton backed off, to give him room to regain control. While still rolling around his broom Davis ended up heading towards the floor and eventually landed on the floor on his back and slide to a halt. Slowly Davis raised his arm in the air and revealed the snitch held in his fingers. Somehow while doing his bizarre barrel rolls he had managed to grab the snitch and hold onto it. The games commentator announced the game over with the final score being three hundred and twenty points to Gryffindor and one hundred and sixty to Slytherin.

With the announcement of the match end Harry jumped to his feet, taking a quick glance at Ginny as she flew to the floor showed her to be holding her right hand side again, seeing that he headed for the stairs as quickly as the celebrating crowd would allow him. Once he was on the ground he made his way around the pitch to the changing rooms.

He had intended to wait for Ginny to come out of the changing room but when he got there he discovered that she hadn't even made it inside and stood outside the Gryffindor changing room arguing with her team mates.

"I telling you I'm fine" cried out Ginny despite the obvious evidence to the contrary. She was still holding her side and now Harry could see her up close he could see how pale she was.

"Ginny how can you say you are fine" replied Demelza with frustration in her voice "will you take a look at yourself, you shouldn't have carried on playing after you got hurt"

"I'm fine! I just got winded" countered Ginny.

"Ginny would you at least let Madam Pomfrey check you out? If nothing else it will prove us wrong" reasoned Ritchie Cootes.

"Fine I'll go once I've had a shower" growled Ginny with frustration.

"I'll be impressed if you manage to get your quidditch gear off without help" said Sharrock while shaking her head.

"You'd stand more chance of getting Voldemort to plead guilty to murder than get her to admit something is wrong" interjected Harry.

As one the Gryffindor team all turned to look at Harry. Seeing an opportunity to get Ginny to see sense and go to see Madam Pomfrey Demelza quickly stepped up to Harry.

"Harry will you tell your idiot girlfriend to go see Madam Pomfrey. You saw that blow, she might just be bruised but she needs to make sure"

"I know Demelza, but you know how stubborn she can be, there's no telling her anything at times"

"I'm stood right here!" exclaimed Ginny.

"Pity we can't just strap her to a stretcher and carry her up to the hospital wing" commented Jimmy.

Harry just looked at Jimmy with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" asked Jimmy

"Last time I checked this was a school for magic"

"You can't be serious!" exclaimed Ginny.

"Anyone know how to conjure a stretcher?" asked Jimmy grinning evilly, while ignoring Ginny.

"No but I reckon I could transfigure a broomstick" volunteered Demelza.

"Use Ginny's" suggested Harry "She needs to take it with her when we go home"

"Harry!" snapped Ginny

"I know how perform Incarcerous" added Davis.

"May I suggest Petrificus Totalus" said Harry "She wont be able to struggle at all that way"

"Good call Harry" replied Demelza pulling her wand out of robes "Now hold still Ginny, I want to make sure we catch you when I put the spell on you"

Ginny went wide eyed upon seeing Demelza withdrawing her wand "OK I'll go to see Madam Pomfrey"

Demelza wasn't going to take any chances "You will go now? Straight to the hospital wing? Without deviating or doing anything else first?"

"Yes!" said Ginny through gritted teeth.

Stepping towards Ginny, Harry pushed Demelza's wand down, before speaking.

"I'll make sure she gets there Demelza. Could you gather Ginny's things together and take them to the headmistresses office please"

"Sure thing Harry" replied Demelza.

"Shall we get you checked out?" Harry asked Ginny while holding a hand out towards her.

Glaring daggers at her boyfriend Ginny ignored Harry's offered hand and stepped past him walking down the corridor towards the exit.

Watching Ginny walk away Harry thought he might have an idea why Ginny was fighting against going to the hospital wing, but wasn't sure.

Harry caught up with Ginny outside, on the path leading up to the castle. She was walking slowly while still holding onto her side.

"Can I help at all?" asked Harry.

Ginny glared at Harry before responding "You've done enough don't you think?"

"I'd like to think so" said Harry grinning. Turning serious he asked "Now we are alone do you want to explain why you are avoiding the hospital wing"

Ginny turned to Harry her eyes blazing, but the look didn't last long, she calmed down and looked down avoiding looking at Harry. "I'm sick of the hospital wing. I wanted to take part in the celebrations for a bit before going home. Now I'm going to miss the celebrations and spend the night in the hospital wing"

Harry knew better than to suggest Madam Pomfrey would let her come home after healing her. "I don't blame you for being sick of the hospital wing, but Gin there will other celebrations and you know I'll stay with you tonight, though I doubt Madam Pomfrey will let us share a bed again"

Harry's comment brought a small smile to Ginny's face, unfortunately Madam Pomfrey's diagnosis of three broken ribs, with the accompanying swelling and bruising and the expected overnight stay firmly wiped it off again.

Under the pretence of taking Ginny's quidditch things home and bringing sleepwear for both of them, Harry slipped out of the Hospital wing. Instead of going straight to the headmistresses office to floo home, he quickly made his way up to Gryffindor tower. Not knowing the password, he got lucky when the portrait opened up from the inside. Looking around the celebrating students, he quickly found the person he was looking for. A quick conversation later and he was on his way home.

Forty minutes after he had left the Hospital ward he was heading back down the corridor towards it. He had stopped briefly to speak to Molly and Arthur, explaining what had happened and assuring them Ginny was being looked after.

As he approached the hospital wing the noise of a party in full swing was getting louder and louder. Smiling to himself, Harry was confident his chat with Demelza had had the desired effect.

Opening the door to the Hospital wing Harry came face to face with a very angry and flustered Madam Pomfrey who was on her way out of the hospital wing.

"Mr Potter, if I found out you had anything to do with this I will have you banned from the hospital wing!"

"Madam Pomfrey I've just been home to fetch Ginny's things" replied Harry while struggling to keep a straight face.

"Get them OUT Mr Potter" demanded Madam Pomfrey before storming off.

Harry turned his attention to the scene in front of him. If he didn't know any better he would guess that the whole of Gryffindor house had relocated its party to the Hospital wing. The biggest crowd was down the right hand side where Ginny's bed was.  
Despite not wanting to break the party up, Harry thought it would be best not to push Madam Pomfrey any further than he already had. Casting Sonorous on himself, Harry called out to get the party's attention.

"CAN I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION PLEASE"

Almost instantly the noise stopped and everyone turned to face him, allowing Harry to cancel the Sonorous spell.

"Listen everyone, thank you for involving Ginny in the party, but I think we have pushed Madam Pomfrey's patience far enough. If you guys clear out now I'll take the blame for the party"

Most of the Gryffindor's took this as their cue and left in a hurry, about a dozen older students remained, most of which were Ginny's team mates.

"Harry we can't let you take the blame for this" said Demelza.

"You can and you will, now go finish your party" replied Harry pushing people towards the door. Once the hospital wing was empty, he quickly tidied what mess the sudden party had caused before returning to Ginny.

Ginny was sat in her bed, a bottle of butter beer in her hand and a large grin on her face.

"You colossal prat. You didn't have to do that"

"Yes I did" answered Harry while sitting down on the bed next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders.

Ginny took a sip of her butter beer before leaning into Harry "Thank you"

"Anytime Gin"


	28. Chapter 28 The Attack of the Burrow

_**Good Evening All at long last.**_

 _ **I am very sorry you havent had an update for this story for so long.**_

 _ **Shortly after i posted my last update i was offered a new job which i accepted**_

 _ **As a result I have had an fairly extensive training period followed by a period of reajustment as i have had to change my private life to suit my new job**_

 _ **I dont want you to think im making excuses, i just want you to be reasured this story has not been abandoned, i will continuing with this story but i dont think i will be able to release chapters as quickly as before**_

 _ **I sincerley hope i havnt lost too many of the followers i had before**_

 _ **As allways thanks for reading**_

 _ **AceBiscuit**_

 **Chapter 28 Attack of the Burrow**

Harry woke up on Monday morning the first official day of the Easter Holidays feeling refreshed. He and Ginny had forgone doing homework that first weekend after school had finished on Friday in favour of having Teddy over for the weekend. They had picked him up Friday afternoon after school and had a fun yet tiring weekend with him before taking him home to a relaxed and refreshed looking Andromeda. As before he slept in a cot in Harry and Ginny's room. Not being used to sleeping at the Burrow yet Teddy was still prone to waking up more often during the night than he did at home with his Grandmother.

Their plan for the day was to get ahead with their homework so it wasn't looming over them after Easter and allowing them to enjoy the rest of the Easter break. The job of completing homework was massively easier task for Harry who was only taking the one subject compared to Ginny who was seemingly overloaded with homework from every subject she was taking.

Looking over at Ginny's bed Harry could see, even without his glasses that she wasn't in her bed. Hearing the familiar scratch of quill on parchment Harry sat up while putting his glasses on, to find Ginny sat at her desk already busily working on her homework.

"Morning. How long have you been up?" asked Harry.

Ginny turned around to look at Harry briefly before turning back while saying "I woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep, so I decided to make use of the time"

Looking at his watch Harry saw that it was half past nine.

"Have you eaten yet?" asked Harry. Ginny's response was a shake of her head.

Harry walked across their room, upon reaching Ginny's desk he put his left hand on her shoulder and leant down to start kissing the nape of her neck, once her attention was away from her homework he reached forward with his right hand and took the quill from Ginny's unresisting fingers, at which point he stood up and pulled Ginny out of chair.

"Homework can wait for an hour, we are going for breakfast"

"Harry I want to get it done" complained Ginny.

"Your not starving yourself for homework, now come on"

After Breakfast Harry convinced Ginny to take a shower and to get dressed before continuing with her homework. Looking refreshed and walking with a smile she gave Harry a quick kiss before setting back down at her desk and carrying on with her homework. Not in the mood for homework just yet and not wanting to dishearten Ginny by finishing his homework before she had barely started hers Harry decided to take a shower and get dressed himself.

Even with delaying his own homework Harry was finished by lunch time Monday. Determined not to abandon Ginny to her homework Harry stayed in their room while reading up on the lesson plans he had been given before the holiday started and spent the time amending the plans to suit his teaching style. At the same time he made sure Ginny was supplied with a constant supply of drinks and the occasional snacks while she worked. Being so focused on her homework Ginny would barely acknowledge the new drinks and carry on working. Seeing the determined look in her eyes Harry didn't worry if she didn't acknowledge a new drink, but made sure she stopped for meals.

The family was planning on spending Easter together, Percy was arriving Friday morning and spending the weekend at the Burrow, Charlie was hoping to arrive sometime on Friday and was bringing Delamere with him. The only people not staying over night at the Burrow were Bill and Fleur who had opted to floo home each evening.

On Tuesday Molly realised Harry had finished with his homework, as a result Harry got roped into helping cleaning the house in preparation for Easter weekend. Ginny laughed and walked out of the kitchen that morning saying she was actually glad she had homework for once.

By Thursday the Burrow was declared ready for the Easter weekend celebrations, the only thing outstanding was setting up a table outside for the family to gather around. Ginny finally emerged from the bedroom declaring her homework finished while complaining of writers cramp.

Thursday evening Harry went to sit down for dinner when Ginny took his arm and guided him out of the back door.

"Gin? What's going on?"

"I'm taking you out for dinner tonight" replied Ginny taking his hand and guiding him away from the Burrow.

"I'm not complaining but why?" asked Harry

"Two reasons. First of all, I never took you out for dinner when I lost the bet over being quidditch captain. Secondly yet more importantly, I'm well aware of how you took care of me this week with drinks, snacks and making sure I stopped for meals. You let me focus on my homework and never complained"

"Why would I complain? Your homework is important and to be honest I had forgotten about that bet"

"I thought you had forgotten and I know you wouldn't complain, I want to do this" replied Ginny while leading them down country lane towards the town.

As they entered Ottery St Catchpole Harry realised he had never properly been into the small town. Looking around Harry realised Ginny was leading him into the town centre, which was populated by muggles. Ginny guided Harry past the towns shops towards the local pub. Stepping inside they chose a small table for two and ordered dinner. With the meal simple and the atmosphere pleasant they both had an enjoyable evening.

When it came time to pay Ginny pulled out some muggle paper money and promptly paid the bill, while doing so she noticed Harry give her a puzzled look before changing his expression.

"What was that look for?" asked Ginny

Harry considered denying it briefly but thought better of it.

"It doesn't matter but I briefly wondered where you got the money from? I mean you haven't left the house for more than three days"

Ginny paused before answering, briefly wondering why he was asking, before realising Harry was only asking out of curiosity.

"George lent it to me, in exchange for some shifts in the shop when school is finished and before you ask I didn't use my key to your vault because I didn't want to, it didn't feel right to use what is your money, despite what you've said, to pay off a lost bet and to say thank you for taking care of me this week"

"I hope he hasn't got you working there full time" replied Harry with a smile "I'd like to spend some time with you when school is finished"

"Don't worry you will" said Ginny smiling in return.

When they got back to the Burrow Harry and Ginny found a commotion going on in the living room and were pleasantly surprised to discover that Charlie and Delamere had arrived a day early and were typically being fussed over by Molly.

"I don't know how she managed it" declared Charlie loudly "We were struggling to get an international port key at all and suddenly we were being offered a port key that was twenty four hours earlier than we were asking for"

"I didn't do anything" replied Delamere.

"I saw you talking to the couple who should have travelled and let us have their port key, I don't know what you said to them, but I'm glad you did" said Charlie beaming while wrapping his arm around Delamere.

"Why didn't you call or owl ahead" asked Molly

"There wasn't time" declared Charlie "When the couple decided to let us have their port key we only had twenty minutes to arrange things with the authorities and to take the port key"

That evening there was impromptu Weasley family party with Percy coming late after work and Bill and Fleur flooing over from their cottage. Tables were hastily set up outside, with Arthur recruiting the men into helping set up the tables gazebo tents over the tables and repelling charms to keep bugs away, In the meantime Molly got the women to help her prepare some dinner. The family went to bed late that night, tired but happy.

Friday morning Harry woke with a start. Nothing was seemingly out of place, but every one of his senses were telling him something was wrong. Looking down at Ginny, Harry could see she was waking up as well. After the impromptu party, Harry and Ginny had fallen into bed together, briefly forgetting the rules set by Molly and Arthur. Feeling Ginny tense up while he held her in his arms, convinced Harry something was wrong. Suddenly Ginny pushed herself up and off Harry, looking around briefly with bleary eyes, she stopped and looked at Harry.

"Something is wrong" said Ginny

"I know I can feel it too" replied Harry

With that the two of the were quickly out of bed and putting clothes on over the top of their pyjamas, not wasting time to take them off first. Being dressed first Harry grabbed both of their wands of the bedside table and once Ginny was dressed he threw her wand to her. As Ginny caught her wand two things happened in rapid succession. The first was an explosion that shook the Burrow from top to bottom, causing Harry and Ginny to loose their balance and fall over. The second was the perimeter warning siren going off.

"What the hell is going on?" yelled Harry over the siren while he picked himself up of the floor.

"How should I know" came Ginny's bellowed response.

Harry moved over to the window and carefully pulled the curtain back to look outside. In the field surrounding the Burrow was a line of men in dark robes with the hoods up, hiding their faces. The men were standing about fifteen feet apart and the line appeared to continue in both directions around the Burrow and out of Harry's line of sight.

"I can see at least a dozen people in robes with hoods hiding their faces on this side of the Burrow and it looks like there are more of them all around the house. No idea what that explosion was though"

As Harry relayed this to Ginny the perimeter alarm was deactivated. Looking out of the window again Harry watched as the cloaked figures raised their arms and pointed their wands at the Burrow and to start releasing a barrage of spells at the walls of the Burrow causing the house to shake continuously.

"We need to make sure everyone is OK and get them downstairs" said Harry turning towards Ginny and the bedroom door.

Ginny pulled the door open and came face to face with Hermione who had been about to open the door from the other side.

"Thank Merlin you two are alright" said Hermione "I'm assuming they are after you Harry or possibly Ginny and figured the first explosion was aimed at your room"

"We don't know where that explosion was aimed" replied Ginny "But we do know the Burrow is surrounded by witches and wizards in cloaks"

"Have you checked any other rooms from the upper floors" asked Harry

"Ron's doing it" replied Hermione "I ran straight here"

"Lets find Ron and head downstairs" said Harry

"I'm here" came Ron's voice "There is no one else upstairs and that first explosion was in mum and dads room"

Harry turned to look at Ginny who had suddenly gone pale.

"Ron?" was all Ginny said.

"Its alright they weren't in there" replied Ron "Good thing too, the entire outer wall is gone"

Taking Ginny's hand and giving it a squeeze Harry spoke to the others "We need to get downstairs and check the remaining rooms as we go past"

Moving together they headed down the stairs towards the ground floor, while checking the rooms the only one that still had people in was the room Delamere was staying in. Charlie was stood at the window firing down at the Burrows attackers, urging Delamere to hurry up, as she continued to get dressed. Urging them to hurry and to head downstairs Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione moved on downstairs to the living room. Getting there they found a scene of apparent chaos. George and Percy were stood at the living room windows and firing out at the attackers, so focused on their task the didn't notice the four of them enter the room, looking through the living room to the kitchen Harry could see Arthur and Bill defending the burrow from the kitchen window and door. Like George and Percy, Arthur was too focused on defending the burrow to notice the four of them arriving in the living room. Bill however was clearly distracted and kept looking back into the living room. In front of them lying on the sofa with Molly bent over her was Fleur. Her head was wrapped in bandages, her clothes were covered in blood and she was clearly unconscious and not moving.

"Ron, Hermione go and help Percy and George, Ginny see if your mum needs any help with Fleur, I'll go and help Arthur and Bill" Harry gave his instructions and they all moved.

"Morning" called out Harry to Arthur and Bill "If you are cooking breakfast this morning please remember I prefer my bacon crispy"

Arthur and Bill both gave Harry a blank look at first before grinning and carrying on.

"Sorry Harry its toast or porridge this morning, the bacon has gone off" replied Arthur.

Harry positioned himself next to the kitchen window with Bill, who was looking back into the living room again.

"She will be fine Bill" reassured Harry "She's got the best person she could have looking after her"

Bill smiled briefly at Harry's comment, but his face dropped almost straight away.

"It's my fault she's hurt" he replied morosely.

"What are you talking about" asked Harry while busily firing stunners out of the window.

"We were supposed to go back home last night, but I had too much to drink, I fell asleep on mum and dad's bed, they slept downstairs and me and Fleur slept in their bed, she was stood next to the window when that first explosion destroyed the wall in mum and dads room" answered Bill.

"Listen to me Bill, this is not your fault, you haven't planned on this, you've done nothing wrong. But we need you to focus so we can get through this and get Fleur to hospital. Trust in your mums abilities and focus on the fight!"

"Harry's right Bill, trust your mum and focus" shouted Arthur from the doorway.

Just then Ginny entered the kitchen and went over to Bill.

"Mum says Fleur is fine, she's keeping her asleep for now so she doesn't feel any pain" Ginny's words brought a look of relief to Bills face who returned to firing out of the window at the attackers with a new drive. Turning to her dad Ginny continued talking "Mum had me confirm that the floo is being blocked somehow so we cant get out that way and she has checked and believes there is an anti-apparation jinx in place, so that is ruled out. She wants to know if you have managed to get any sort of message out to Kingsley"

Arthur sent a barrage of spells out through the doorway before turning to answer.

"I've sent a patronus message out but we've got no way of knowing if Kingsley has received it or if the attackers somehow stopped it" answered Arthur "We need to assume he hasn't until we see Auror's arrive"

Ginny turned back to the living room doorway and relayed the message to her mum then joined her dad at the doorway. The same determined look Harry saw at valentines day was on her face and she quickly sent a series of Reductor curses at the attackers.

"Why are they after you and Molly!" Harry asked Arthur.

Harry's question caused Arthur, Bill and Ginny to stop and stare at Harry briefly.

"What are you on about" asked a bewildered Arthur.

"Their first attack was your bedroom, either they were targeting you or it was random and they got lucky by hitting the main bedroom" explained Harry.

"Or they are targeting you and got the house layout wrong" replied Ginny.

"Truth is we don't know why they are attacking us, all we can do is defend ourselves and hope the Auror's arrive" said Arthur.

Having spoken to those in the kitchen Arthur moved to the living room doorway to check on those there.

"Where's Charlie?" asked Arthur.

Harry and Ginny stopped and looked at each other with worried looks on their faces.

"We saw them upstairs on our way down, Charlie was firing stunners out of the window while Delamere was getting dressed. They were going to come downstairs and join us when Delamere was ready" explained Harry.

Arthur moved back to the back door "Ginny get back upstairs and make sure they are OK" instructed Arthur.

"What about you three, wont you need help here" asked Ginny

"We will be fine" replied Arthur "We have the window and door covered, we need to know what's happened to Charlie and Delamere"

Ginny nodded her understanding and while staying on her hands and knees she crawled over to the living room door and then made her way through the living room.

Focussing on the attackers Harry continued to fire out of the kitchen window, and was only vaguely aware of Ginny informing her mum that she was heading upstairs to find Charlie and Delamere.

The next thing Harry heard clearly was Ginny screaming her brothers name "CHARLIE!" followed by a series of thumps.

Everyone in the Burrow stopped on instinct and turned to look at Ginny who was stood at the bottom of the stairs. As they watched Charlie's body bounced down the last few stairs and crash into Ginny before she had chance to attempt any spell to stop Charlie's fall. Ginny fell backwards and ended flat on her back with Charlie slumped over her, pinning her to the floor.

"GINNY!" Screamed Harry launching himself from the window, only to stop suddenly and fall backwards. Trying to stand Harry found himself pinned to the floor by Bill, who had grabbed the back of his jumper and pulled him to the floor and was now holding him back.

"Harry wait we don't know what caused Charlie to fall" Bill shouted into Harry's ear.

As he struggled against Bill who was using his weight to hold him down Harry watched as a pair of stunners were fired down the stairs into the living room. The first came straight down the stairs and hit Ginny who was struggling against Charlie's weight. The second went more across the room and hit Molly causing her to fall forwards and onto Fleur.

The distraction of Ginny's scream coupled with sight of Ginny and Molly being stunned had a devastating effect on the defence of the Burrow. A barrage of spells came into the Burrow through the windows. Across the living room Percy was hit by a spell and fell into George, knocking his wand out of his hand. The added distraction from Percy and George caused Hermione to turn away from the window. In doing so she didn't see an incoming Reductor curse which blew up part of the wall beside her. The debris from the explosion hit her in the side of the head rendering her unconscious. Ron was seemingly left with no choice but to stop firing back at the attackers. Diving at Hermione he grabbed her and pulled her closer to Percy and George, before raising the strongest shield he could to protect the four of them.

In the kitchen the distraction allowed the attackers to release a number of Reductor curses at the same time. The combined effect caused one of the kitchens outer walls to collapse and to bring the kitchen ceiling down with it. Harry heard a grunt just before a dead weight fell on him pinning him to the floor unable to move.

Looking over his shoulder as best has he could all Harry could see was the top of Bills head and broken white plaster. Realising that when the ceiling came down Bill had been hit and knocked unconscious, but because he was already on top of Harry he had protected him from the falling ceiling. But despite being unhurt and awake Harry was trapped underneath the combined weight of both Bill and the ceiling.

"Arthur?!" called out Harry

"Harry? Are you alright" came Arthur's muffled voice

"I'm OK but trapped underneath Bill and the ceiling, Bill is unconscious, so are Percy, Hermione, Molly and Ginny. Ron is holding a shield up protecting the others. How are you?"

"I'm OK. But I think my arm is broken and I am pinned to the door frame by the ceiling"

As Arthur stopped speaking Harry realised he could hear something new. The sounds of the attack he had become accustomed to had stopped and instead he could hear what sounded like footsteps coming downstairs. From his trapped position Harry watched as a pair of feet walked down the stairs and revealed a pair of legs, which were followed by a woman's torso and ultimately revealing a glaring Delamere.

"Delamere?" said Harry cautiously.

Delamere looked to her right and upon seeing Harry trapped under Bill and the ceiling, muttered under her breath.

"Idiots"

Scanning the room from right to left she took in the scene of devastation in front of her, Molly on top of Fleur, Charlie on top of Ginny all four still unconscious and to her left George trying to wake up Percy and Hermione while Ron maintained a shield over the four of them, though clearly tiring from the effort. With barely a pause Delamere turned towards the four on her left and fired a blasting hex at Ron's shield. With his tired state the blasting hex instantly dissipated his shield and caused Ron and George to fall backwards. At which point Delamere fired two quick stunners at them rendering them unconscious as well.

"Delamere! What are you doing" screamed Harry

For a brief moment Delamere looked liked she was regretting her actions, but quickly strengthened her resolve while walking over to Harry.

Harry desperately tried to stun her but she easily sidestepped his spell and quickly sent a stunner at him. Unable to dodge Harry tried to throw up a shield but failed to do so quickly enough and Delamere's stunner hit him in the face, and everything went black.


	29. Chapter 29 Ginny's Nightmare

_A/N Evening everyone, hopefully the readers who are following this story haven't fainted from the shock that a new chapter has been posted lol. I would like to take a moment to explain that with Harry being kidnapped at the end of the last chapter i have decided to write this chapter from Ginny's perspective instead of Harry's. The story will continue from Harry's perspective once his fate has been revealed. I didn't want to reveal everything all at once and rush the end of the story. As always i hope you enjoy reading this chapter and please continue to leave your comments and reviews._

Chapter 29 Ginny's Nightmare

Slowly, painfully slowly Ginny started to come around as the stunner wore off. Trying to move she found she was stuck before eventually realising through the disorientation of the stunner that there was a weight on top of her pinning her down. Looking down her body she saw that that Charlie was still slumped over her. Before she could try and push Charlie off she heard voice speak. Though still out of focus and confused from the stunner's effects she was convinced it was Harry.

"Delamere?"

Was all the Harry sounding voice said but it was followed by a quiet almost whispered feminine voice.

"Idiots"

As her head started to clear the name the Harry voice had called out was causing her to realise a sense of danger she couldn't clearly place, but she knew she needed to move but couldn't because of Charlie lying on top of her. As her confused mind was slowly putting things together, there was three flashes of light. Somehow, she recognised them as spells.

Spells?

Delamere?

With a sudden clarity Ginny remembered what was going on, she had gone to the stairs so she could go and check on Charlie and Delamere. When she had got to the bottom of the stairs, she had looked up the stairs to the first-floor landing and stopped in shock at what she saw. Charlie was stood at the top of the stairs; his wand was nowhere in sight and Delamere was stood beside him with her wand at his throat. They were only stood there for a few moments, but the sight of Delamere with her wand at Charlie's throat had filled her with fear. Delamere had quickly seen Ginny at the bottom of the stairs and had seemingly made a split-second decision to change tactics. With barely a pause she fired a stunner into Charlie's neck and pushed him forward. There was no way she could stop him from falling down the short flight of stairs and before she could move Charlies body barrelled into her sending her flying backwards and landed on top of her, knocking her wand out her hand and pinning her to the floor. As Delamere had walked down the stairs, she had briefly tried to push Charlie off herself only to realise there was no way she could manage it by herself, she had been stretching for a wand she could see when Delamere stunned her.

Suddenly she heard Harry cry out "Delamere what are you doing?" followed by the double flash of two stunners going in different directions. Before she could move Delamere walked past where Ginny was lying without even looking at her. Clearly still believing everyone was still unconscious.

Looking around Ginny saw a wand on the floor and seeing no other option started trying to reach it. Jerking her legs and torso she desperately tried to shift Charlies weight so she could pull herself out from underneath him. All while she was trying to free herself of Charlies body, she could hear distinct popping sounds coming from the direction of the kitchen. With her mind working over time she quickly realised Delamere was banishing something presumably to get to Harry.

Finally, she managed to pull herself close enough to the wand to pick it up and use it. Acting quickly, she used wingardium leviosa to lift Charlie of herself. Too scared of losing Harry again she rolled out from under her brother and cancelled the spell without even bothering to lower him to the floor first. Charlie fell a foot to the floor and hit it with a thump. As Charlie was falling Ginny was already on her feet wand raised and starting a charge to the kitchen. As she got to the kitchen door, she saw Bill still unconscious and lying awkwardly as if he had been dragged and dumped there, her dad was lying in the doorway with an obviously broken arm, leaping over the rubble and her dad she made it outside. A quick glance around showed her what she needed to know. Across the yard was Delamere, calmly walking away from the Burrow, her wand arm was outstretched and pointing at Harry who was floating lifelessly next to her, face down with his hands dragging on the ground.

Filling with a rage she couldn't control, Ginny launched herself forward while firing a series of spells at Delamere. Her first was a blasting spell deliberately aimed over and ahead of Delamere. The blasting spell hit the ground in front of Delamere and Harry sending both of their bodies flying.

The rest of Ginny's spells were aimed directly at Delamere, but none of them hit their mark. Delamere moved far quicker than Ginny had been expecting and somehow managed to duck, dodge and roll away from Ginny's onslaught. She never once used a shield and relied solely on moving out of the way of the spells to avoid them. Eventually Delamere managed to duck and dodge her way to where Harry lay still unconscious. With a flick of her wand Harry was lifted into the air and was floating in front of Delamere and blocking Ginny from firing at her.

Delamere took advantage of Ginny's pause to speak.

"You are too predictable my dear. You are so devoted to Harry here you can't risk hurting him"

"COWARD" yelled Ginny "What sort of lowlife uses a human shield?"

"Coward? Lowlife? I suppose you are right, but I have task to complete and I won't let you stop me"

"Give me Harry and I'll let you walk away" bargained Ginny

"Nice try but he is essential to my plan" replied Delamere

"What has Harry ever done to you?" asked Ginny "Don't you think he's suffered enough, deserves to be left alone"

"Oh, I agree" replied Delamere "Harry does deserve to be happy, after all he has suffered and sacrificed. Unfortunately, he unwittingly put himself in this position"

"What are you on about?" asked Ginny confused.

"He killed Voldemort" she stated simply.

A chill of fear ran down Ginny's spine at the mention of the dead dark lord's name, but she made sure it didn't show on her face.

"You're a death eater?" asked Ginny

"You think I'm one of those lunatics?" replied Delamere her wand trained on the still unconscious and floating Harry "No I'm not one of them, though I have used them on occasion. You can rest assured my motives have nothing to do with bringing the dark lord back or punishing Harry for getting rid of him. I have far superior motives for needing Harry"

Delamere's statement left Ginny confused, how could she use the death eaters but not be one of them. More worrying was her claim she had superior motives for taking Harry and that killing Voldemort had made Harry a target in a way they hadn't considered. Desperately trying to think of a way of getting Harry away from Delamere, Ginny decided to try and keep her talking for the moment.

"If you are not a death eater intent on punishing Harry for getting rid of Voldemort or trying to bring him back, what do you want Harry for?"

"I have my reasons" said Delamere from behind Harry.

"Care to share them? Unfortunately, I will have to consider you a death eater and treat you accordingly without any additional information"

"I told you I'm not one of those LUNATICS" replied Delamere angrily and shouting the last word.

Picking up on Delamere's anger at being accused of being death eater, Ginny decided to push her, in hope she would make a mistake while angry.

"Let's see, you've admitted to associating with death eaters, seemingly don't care who you hurt to achieve your goals and are willing to resort to kidnapping. All are traits shared with death eaters. Hell, you're even wearing a black gown with a hood, the only thing you are missing is a mask, face it Delamere you're a death eater" taunted Ginny

"Don't you dare compare me to those evil cowards" spat Delamere "I'm trying to bring him back"

"I thought you said you weren't a death eater? Why would you bring him back if you weren't?" asked Ginny

"I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT BLOODY VOLDEMORT" bellowed Delamere "There are other people to bring back not just dark lords"

"Who are you trying to bring back and why do you need Harry?" asked Ginny.

Before Delamere could reply there was a series of loud pops and a large number of Auror's lead by Kingsley apparated into and around the Burrows yard.

Before the Auror's could get their bearings, Delamere took advantage of the moments confusion and dived forward grabbing Harry and sticking her wand into the side of his neck.

"BACK OFF OR I'LL KILL HIM" yelled Delamere loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Ginny what is going on" asked Kingsley who was stood by Ginny's side and had his wand aimed at Delamere "Isn't that Charlie's girlfriend?"

"Yes, it is" answered Ginny. Though she was relieved to see Kingsley she couldn't help but be annoyed with his timing. She had a feeling her chance to get some answers had been lost.

"Everyone lower your wands and back off" Ginny called out. Kingsley gave Ginny a funny look and for a moment she thought he would counter her instructions.

"Do as she says" said Kingsley in his deep booming voice "I hope you know what you are doing Ginny" he murmured quietly so only she could hear.

Once the Auror's had lowered their wands Ginny took a step forward towards Delamere, who was still holding Harry with her wand to his neck while turning back and forth on the spot, seemingly trying to keep all of the Auror's in view.

"Who are you trying to bring back Delamere?" asked Ginny softly.

Delamere paused in her turning back and forth to look at Ginny,

"My husband John" she replied "I'm leaving here and I'm taking Harry with me, if you don't let me go, I'll kill Harry. If I can't have my hero you won't be keeping yours"

Feeling the tears starting to build up behind her eyes Ginny carefully nodded her head. One thought that left her with some hope is that neither of them had ever taken off their valentine's day necklaces. She was more than prepared to search none stop for him.

"Let her go" she said to Kingsley.

"WHAT?" asked Kingsley incredulously "What about Harry"

"Harry will be fine" she said simply.

"Ginny, I can't just let her leave with Harry like that, she could kill him the second she has left"

"No, she won't, at least not straight away, she needs him for something"

"Needs him for what?"

"This isn't the time Kingsley! The important part is she leaves here with a Harry who is alive, giving us time to find and stop her later. The other option is we refuse to let her leave and risk her killing Harry outright here and now! I suggest you choose quickly Minister as she currently has her wand pressed firmly into the side of Harry's neck!"

At that she turned away from the scene in front of her, she finally truly understood how Harry had felt when he had been forced to let her go to protect Teddy. Similar to Harry she couldn't believe she was even considering letting Delamere take him, but believed it was the only way to ensure Harry lived past this moment. Her tears were flowing freely down her cheeks but she wasn't going to let Delamere see that so she kept her back turned to her and waited for Kingsley to give his orders to the Auror's.

"Drop the anti-apparition wards stand down and let her leave" Ginny was quietly impressed by how strong and clear Kingsleys voice was. She wasn't sure she would have been able to speak clearly if she had tried at that point.

The single pop of apparition signified Delamere's departure, Ginny took a moment to wipe her face on the back of her hand before turning around. As she turned around, she saw Kingsley walking towards where Delamere had stood with Harry. As he got there, he crouched down and picked something up of the floor that Ginny couldn't see. Standing Kingsley turned and walked back to Ginny. As he approached her, he held out his hand and said,

"I'm sorry Ginny, I forgot she was in the meeting we had when you were kidnapped by Borgin and the fact that the two of you were wearing locator stones was revealed then"

With a sickening lurch in her stomach Ginny knew what Kingsley was about to hand to her and felt her hopes of rescuing Harry suddenly disappear. Holding out her hand, Kingsley carefully placed Harry's Valentines necklace into it.

"She pulled it off Harry just before she apparated away" explained Kingsley.

Holding onto Harry's locator stone tightly in her hand Ginny took a moment before replying,

"We will have to find her the old-fashioned way then. Get your team inside everyone else needs help"

Within minutes the Auror's had entered the burrow, revived everyone they could and used emergency portkeys to send Fleur, Bill and Arthur to St Mungo's for treatment. Once she had established the rest of the family was ok Molly had flooed to St Mungo's. This left Ron, Hermione, Charlie, George and Percy at the Burrow. Once they had given their statements to the Auror's they went looking for Ginny along with Kingsley.

They found her sat in the Burrows meadow, underneath one of the makeshift Quidditch hoops and leaning back against the pole. One leg was lying sideways flat against the floor. The other had its knee raised and her foot flat on the floor. One arm was resting in her lap while her other was resting on her raised knee with Harry's locator stone dangling from her fingers. She was sat staring at the stone so intently that she didn't appear to notice the others arrive. That was until she spoke.

"What am I missing?" Ginny appeared to ask herself

Everyone paused not knowing if they should interrupt and make their presence known to her.

"I said what am I missing?" asked Ginny again while turning her head to look directly at the group "Seriously I'm asking any of you, surely one of you can help me figure this out"

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione softly while crouching down next to Ginny.

"I mean that I am certain Delamere has revealed enough so I can figure this mess out, but I can't quite put it all together"

"Delamere fooled us all Ginny, I don't there is anything we can figure out" said Percy.

"YES, THERE IS!" snapped Ginny "I'm certain that Delamere is ultimately responsible for everything that has happened this year, it fits and makes sense. I just can't figure out where she may be with Harry. But I'm certain I've got the answer, or at least something that will lead to the answer I just can't see it"

"What do you mean everything that has happened this year?" asked Hermione carefully.

Instead of answering Hermione, Ginny turned and looked at Kingsley.

"Kingsley, after I was rescued from the room of requirement you said that Carrow must have had an accomplice as she couldn't have got out of prison by herself"

"I did" answered Kingsley

"and did you ever find out who the accomplice was?"

"No, we did not. The investigation revealed nothing and is officially still ongoing"

"What are you getting at Ginny" asked Hermione.

"I think Delamere was the accomplice" replied Ginny with deadly seriousness.

"How could Delamere have been the accomplice Ginny?" asked Hermione.

"When we had our stand-off in the yard she said, she had used death eaters but wasn't one of them. I think she originally intended to use Carrow to kidnap me in order to get to Harry, while keeping herself out of the public eye. Her plan failed when Carrow decided to follow her own twisted agenda"

"That's quite an assumption Ginny. I know Delamere isn't exactly innocent, but we need to make sensible logical deductions" said Hermione

"I AM Hermione" snapped Ginny before turning to Charlie "Charlie! Valentine's day!"

"Wha...what about it" stammered Charlie caught of guard by his sister's sudden attack.

"What were your and Delamere's plans for Valentine's day?" asked Ginny

"We had made plans to go out for dinner together in the evening"

"And during the day?"

"Delamere was busy, I don't think she actually said why, so we didn't plan on spending any time together during the day" explained Charlie.

At this point Hermione interrupted "Ginny you can't use Delamere's absence as an excuse to accuse her of kidnapping you"

Ginny turned back slowly while glaring daggers at her friend.

"I'm not, using that as an excuse Hermione" replied Ginny carefully "I would however like to bring to your attention a couple of points. Firstly, during Delamere's absence, we were attacked by a lone person who was revealed to have long blonde hair. Secondly neither our long-haired attacker or Delamere can actually defend themselves properly with a shield"

"What are thinking Ginny" asked Ron who had come up behind Hermione and seemingly quietened her by putting a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder.

"I'm convinced our blonde hair attacker and Delamere are the same person, however I don't think she was directly involved in the second kidnap. I think she somehow heard of the wand hunters plans, maybe told them that me and Harry were in Hogsmeade, but kept her detailed knowledge of our plans to herself, so while the wand hunters were doing her a favour of distracting the town, she went straight to the park, knowing we were there with the intention of kidnapping Harry" explained Ginny

"Only you and Harry proved to be too much for her to handle by herself and managed to escape from her only to run into the wand hunters and in the following chaos no one stopped to properly think about the blonde-haired attacker" finished Charlie. The fact that Charlie had referred to her as the blonde-haired attacker rather than Delamere wasn't missed by anyone, but no one commented.

"Assuming Ginny is correct where does that leave us now?" asked George.

Before anyone else could speak Ginny spoke up again,

"Charlie did Delamere ever mention any family she has or used to have?"

"Family?" asked Charlie confused

"Used to have?" asked Hermione.

"Yes" started Ginny "Delamere said she needed Harry to bring him back. At first, I thought she meant Voldemort, but when I asked her who she wanted to bring back she said her husband John"

"What was Delamere's Surname?" asked Kingsley

"Moore" answered Charlie "I'm sorry Ginny but she never told me about any family"

"I am going to go back to the ministry and see if they find out any information about Delamere. In the meantime, I suggest you guys try to get some rest and some food" said Kingsley

"GET SOME FOOD?! Have you seen the state of our mum's kitchen" asked George.

"Sorry everyone" said Kingsley contritely "that was insensitive, what about Shell Cottage? I don't think Bill and Fleur will mind"

"We will go to Grimauld Place" said Ginny standing up and putting Harry's pendant around her neck "That way we will still be in London. Everyone go and pack some clothes"

"Will we be able to get in" asked Percy "Is it safe"

"Yes, and yes Percy" answered Kingsley "When Carrow made Harry believe he and Ginny had split up he moved into Grimauld Place. He came to me and asked for help in ensuring there wasn't any booby traps left behind by the death eaters. In addition, he asked for some help in placing some permanent wards to ensure the house's security. I sent two teams around to make sure the house was safe and secure. When it came to the wards Harry insisted that the entire Weasley family was added to the wards with Ginny able to make amendments in Harry's absence"

With Kingsleys words everyone turned to Ginny.

"Ginny did you know about this?" asked Percy with an accusatory tone in his voice.

"I knew we were keyed into the wards" answered Ginny "but not that I could make changes in Harry's absence. Not that it makes any difference. We don't need to make any changes to the wards"

Thirty minutes later Ginny, Ron, Hermione, George and Percy were stood in the kitchen of Grimauld Place, each holding a bag of clothes and belongings. Charlie had taken it upon himself to pack a bag for his mum and dad and had flooed over to Shell cottage to pack a bag for Bill and Fleur. He was going to join the others after he had delivered the clothes to St Mungo's hospital and got an update on Arthur, Bill and Fleur.

Taking charge, the youngest member of the family turned to the others,

"OK everyone get cleaned up, get something to eat and try and get some rest, then we are going to go and find Harry"

"Any ideas on where to start looking" asked Ron

"Not yet" replied Ginny with fierce determination on her face "But I will find him".


	30. Chapter 30 Finding Harry Part 1

_A/N I just want to say thank you to mdauben and Tishka M.A. Tomson for your comments. It is always great to receive feedback._

 _I hope you all enjoy reading it. Please leave your comments and review's_

 _thanks AceBiscuit_

Chapter 30 Locating Harry

Ginny stepped into the living room of Grimauld place with her hair still wet from the shower. It hadn't escaped her attention that the others had avoided the master bedroom that Harry had decorated when he had moved out of the Burrow. But as much as she appreciated the others trying to be thoughtful, being stuck alone in Harry's room was currently unbearable.

Mind you Harry's living room wasn't much better. Like the bedroom it was styled in a way that was almost predictably Harry. Harry had clearly tried to incorporate aspects of the two places he considered home, The Burrow and Hogwarts, specifically the Gryffindor common room. The room was decorated in cream, deep red and gold. None of the furniture matched and all of it appeared to be second hand. It all had the worn comfortable look and feel that the furniture at the Burrow had.

Smiling for the first time that day, she couldn't help but laugh at Harry's attempt to seemingly recreate the Burrow and the common room at the same time. She couldn't help but wonder if he had done it consciously or if it had been a subconscious attempt to feel at home.

Moving around the room she came to Harry's desk. Spread across the desk were several sheets of parchment. Sifting through them she found them to be letters addressed to Harry. Puzzled as to why Harry's letters were spread out on display at Grimauld place, when he had been at the Burrow, Ginny found herself reading through the letters.

A short while later Charlie entered the living room having flooed over from St Mungos. Walking into the living he saw Ginny sat at Harry's desk, before speaking he dropped his bag on a chair.

"Hi Ginny, I won't ask if you are alright, you will be pleased to hear that everyone is going to be alright, Dad's injury was simple, dose of skelegro to sort it out, they are only keeping him in overnight as a precaution. Bill and Fleur are both a bit more serious, but the Dr's aren't worried. They are keeping them asleep till tomorrow and continuously monitoring them"

As he finished talking Charlie realised that Ginny hadn't moved and was still staring at the sheets of parchment in front of her.

"Ginny?" said Charlie while cautiously putting his hand on her shoulder.

Ginny finally turned around showing Charlie how red her eyes were from crying.

"Ginny what is wrong?" asked Charlie. Looking at the paperwork on the desk he asked "Has Delamere been in touch?"

Ginny shook her head and started pulling herself together.

"No I found these letters sat on Harry's desk and curiosity got the better of me. They are the letters that Carrow sent Harry" after a pause, Ginny continued "With everything that happened I never got around to telling anyone that I am the one that wrote them"

"What do you mean "you wrote them"?" asked Charlie.

"She used the imperious curse on me. She wanted them written in my handwriting, to make sure Harry believed they were from me" answered Ginny "when I was in the room of requirement, I kept thinking that if Harry was caught or killed it would have been my fault, because I wasn't strong enough to throw off the curse"

"Ginny..." began Charlie

"I know I shouldn't feel guilty and it wasn't really me writing the letters. But that doesn't erase the memory of watching myself write those hateful letters. I thought I had moved on from blaming myself but finding those letters has brought it all back" Ginny paused before continuing "Why are they still here anyway? Why has he saved them?"

Charlie paused before answering, clearly not used to dealing with emotional moments like this.

"Firstly, I think you know why the letters are still here. Harry discovered the secret message's shortly before I called round to speak to him. We felt that we had to move quickly and went straight to Neville's then on to Hogwarts. After the fight with Carrow he never came back here. Mum and dad moved his stuff back into the Burrow. I would guess that Kreacher kept his master's desk as Harry left it.

"Secondly, I can't imagine what it was like for you in that situation, but don't ever forget you didn't write those letters. Carrow may have used you but it wasn't you who wrote them"

"And thirdly..." said Charlie before pausing and shifting his position.

"And thirdly?" asked Ginny confused.

"Thirdly ..." said Charlie before swinging his arm and smacking Ginny round the side of the head. It wasn't a hard hit, just hard enough to shake her up.

"WHAT THE HELL CHARLIE?" yelled Ginny "I open up to you and you hit me round the head?"

"That's more like it" replied Charlie grinning slyly.

"What do you mean that's ...?" started Ginny before realisation hit her "you arse" she finished lamely.

"Ginny you are the strongest person I know, don't ever loose that fire. Control it, use it but don't ever loose it. Right now, you need to control it and when we find her unleash it on that bitch Delamere"

Before she could say anything, Charlie stood up and reached past Ginny and in one swift motion swept all of the Carrow letters up into his hands, taking three steps across the room he promptly dumped them all into the fireplace. Pausing briefly to make sure they had caught fire, he turned back to Ginny.

"Those letters were not you and if Harry actually believed they were you he wouldn't have spent two months trying to figure out what went wrong, he wouldn't have figured out the hidden code and then gone to Hogwarts and fought Carrow. Now are you going to pull yourself together or do you need another smack around the head to see sense?"

"I'm good thanks" replied Ginny "I'm going to see if Kreacher will prepare some food. Once everyone has eaten, I think we should go to the Ministry"

Charlie nodded his head in agreement before saying "Good call, save me some food I need a shower first"

As Charlie headed upstairs to find a free bathroom Ginny stepped into the hallway.

"Kreacher" she called out, shortly before jumping when he appeared behind her.

"Yes Mistress?" said Kreacher with a small bowl.

"Mistress? Kreacher I'm not your mistress" said Ginny who was shocked at the house elf's formality.

"Master told Kreacher to follow your instructions in his absence. If master is missing that makes you Mistress"

"When did Harry give you these instructions?" asked Ginny

"It was when Master went back to Hogwarts school Mistress. Master said he wanted to make sure Kreacher was looked after and couldn't be used against family"

"Oh ok" was all Ginny said at first, puzzled as to when Harry had talked to Kreacher "For now I'd like you to call me Miss Ginny. Could you something for everyone to eat please, something quick like bacon sandwiches, and bring them to the living room"

"Yes Miss Ginny, straight away" at which point he disappeared with a pop.

Stepping back into the living room, Ginny briefly felt a sense of hopelessness, not knowing how to proceed, before finally seeing Harry's desk. Striding over to it she sat down once again only this time with a purpose. Searching through the desk she found some blank parchment and a quill and started writing.

As she was writing Kreacher popped in and out with plates of food and pots of tea, leaving them on the coffee table over magical flames to keep them warm.

As she was Ginny was finishing Ron and Hermione entered the living room. Predictably Ron practically fell onto the bacon sandwiches and started devouring them until he saw the look on Hermione's face.

"Wha.." mumbled Ron through a mouthful of food.

"Really Ron? First of all you are not the only hungry person who needs to eat, secondly that was just disgusting, thirdly I'm sure Ginny would have appreciated a thank you before you started eating and fourthly how can you eat at all when Harry is missing and we don't have any idea where he is!" As Hermione had been going through her rant her voice had been rising in pitch, finishing at its peak on the words "he is".

Ron, having been suitably chastised carefully swallowed, emptying his mouth before speaking again.

"Ok you made some fair points, but I have to disagree with the last one. How is starving ourselves going to help Harry? Oh, and thanks Ginny"

"Thank Kreacher he made them" answered Ginny without looking around.

"What are you doing Ginny?" asked Hermione

"I'm trying to put together a plan on how to rescue Harry. As we don't know where he is or what Delamere wanted him for, the plan is rather vague. So, I'm adding lists of information we need before we can go any further"

"What have you got so far?" asked Hermione.

"To get Harry back we need to know where he is and what Delamere wants with him. In order to do that we need to find out who Delamere really is. We've got to assume that anything we thought we knew about her is a lie, as I think it is a safe assumption that her relationship with Charlie was faked from her end as she only wanted to get close to Harry. We only have one clue to work with. When I fought her in the yard, she said she wanted to bring back her husband John. I know it might seem strange but I believe that she told me the truth. As far as I can see we have two things that we can research. The first is Delamere and her husband John. There must be some sort of records somewhere detailing where they lived, married and he died. The second is ways in which to bring someone back from the dead"

"Why do you want to research bringing people back from the dead?" asked Ron interrupting "I mean I realise it has something to do with why she took Harry, but how will it help us find them"

Looking annoyed at Ron's interruption Ginny explained "First of all it is possible that whatever dark magic Delamere wants to perform maybe limited to certain conditions, like a specific location or certain conditions. Secondly when we find them it would be a good idea if we had some idea of what she is up to and how to deal with it. Rushing in blindly will probably get us all killed"

"Ill head over to the Ministry" offered Hermione "I can speak to Minister Kingsley and do some research" while she was talking George and Percy walked into the living room.

"No, you are staying here" countered Ginny "Percy will be going to the Ministry"

"Excuse me" said Percy half way through picking up a sandwich "What am I doing?"

"And why isn't Hermione going with him?" asked Ron "Granted Percy is great at research, but if anyone can beat him Hermione can"

Ginny glanced at Ron before turning back to Percy and explaining herself "We need to research who Delamere really was so we can stand a chance of finding her and Harry. At the same time, I want us to try and figure out exactly what she wants Harry for. She said she wanted to bring her husband back, so me, Hermione and George are going to go through the Black family library here, while you, Ron and Charlie are going to go to the Ministry and try to uncover some official records of Delamere"

"That sounds like a plan to me" said Charlie from the door "For Merlin's sake someone take the bacon sandwiches from Ron and hand them here. I'll make sure Kingsley knows what else we are looking into. He may have some ideas of his own. Though I'm surprised you want to stay here"

"I did think of going to the Ministry but I think the official proceedings and red tape will annoy me. That's why I am sending Percy with you and Ron. Percy works there and knows how to deal with official side of things, but will have you two there to give him and the Ministry a nudge so they don't dawdle. I want Hermione here to help me go through the Black library" answered Ginny

"I take I'm staying here with you and Hermione to make up numbers then?" asked George grinning.

"You are no dunce George, I know you can help wherever you go, its just that I think these are the best teams right now" answered Ginny. Looking around at everyone she continued "You all know your teams and what you need to do. When you have all eaten get to work. Hermione, George I'll be in the library"

Ginny didn't wait for a response and went to leave the living room, but found Charlie blocking her path.

"Excuse me Charlie"

"One thing before we head out, when did you last eat?" asked Charlie

"I`m not hungry, excuse me please Charlie"

Charlie refused to move "What did I hear Harry say to you last year at the debriefing?"

"Don`t Charlie" replied Ginny quietly while glaring at her brother.

"What did he say?" repeated Charlie calmly.

"Eat you will feel better" said Ginny quietly

At that point Charlie stopped pushing her and silently offered her the plate of Bacon sandwiches. Ginny glared briefly at her brother before silently taking a sandwich and taking a bite. Not quite satisfied Charlie offered her the plate a second time. Looking exasperatedly at Charlie she picked up a second sandwich and continued eating her first, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around she found Hermione offering her a mug of tea.

"Charlie, Ron...Harry... they are all right, it won't do us or Harry any good if we starve ourselves" explained Hermione.

Ginny found herself briefly balancing her two sandwiches in one hand in order to accept the mug of tea, looking around the room she saw the same look on everyone's face.

"I surpose five minutes won't hurt" said Ginny quietly before attacking her bacon sandwiches.

Fifteen minutes later Ginny was walking into the Black family library. Or rather what was left of it after it went through multiple purges. When Ginny had briefly first seen the library, its shelves had been wall to wall full of books. Shortly afterwards though Sirius had gone through it and removed anything he considered dangerous. Not happy with Sirius' definition of dangerous her own mother had gone through the library herself and removed even more books, though she suspected Sirius had rescued some books from that purge. She also suspected Dumbledore had been through the library at some point. The overall end result was that large portions of the library were now missing. There were gaps in the books everywhere and in a couple of places entire shelves were empty.

"Do you really think we will find something that will help in here?" asked George as he and Hermione walked in behind Ginny.

"If we stand a chance of finding something that will help from a source, we have access to it will be in here. We can only hope that Sirius, mum and Dumbledore left us something to find after they purged the library of anything, they considered dangerous" answered Ginny.

"Where do you want to start?" asked Hermione

"That's what you are here for Hermione. There is a system in place in here, if it's anything other than alphabetical I wouldn't have a clue how it works. If anyone has a chance of figuring it out, it's you"

Without speaking Hermione stepped forward and went to the shelves on the left-hand side of the door as you walked into the room. Turning her head sideways she started scanning the book titles and then with her head still sideways started walking around the library in a clockwise direction. After a short while she stopped and spoke to Ginny and George.

"So far it appears to be alphabetical. The D's start here. I suggest you two start here looking for books with Death in the title. I'm going to carry on and see if there are any subsections or differences to the layout I haven't spotted yet"

Trusting Hermione's logic Ginny and George got to work, their difference in height quickly led to George taking the upper shelves and Ginny the lower shelves.

Before too long George spoke up.

"I suggest we make two piles of books. One pile of books that look promising and a second for books that could possibly help but are unlikely"

Turning to look at her brother, Ginny found him holding a book in each hand.

"I've got "Death of pure blood lines"" said George gesturing with his left hand "and "Death and how to avoid it"" finished George gesturing with his right hand.

"I see what you mean" answered Ginny, looking around the room she saw a large solid wood table sat in the middle of the library "Put any promising books on the table, possible but unlikely book's put on the floor next to the shelves"

Nodding his agreement George dropped "Death of Pure Blood Lines" on the floor, before walking over to the table with "Death and how to avoid it"

Working together they quickly went through all of the books in the "D" section and had pulled out a couple of books. As Hermione was still working her way around the library they decided to go back to the start and go through the A to C's before carrying on with the E's and onwards.

They had got as far as the J's with a frustratingly small pile of books sat on the table, when Hermione called out.

"Ginny, George, over here I've found something that will help"

Looking around the room they couldn't see Hermione at first and it took George's height benefit to see her sitting at a desk that was tucked in a corner. When they reached her she was skimming through, what looked like a journal at first.

"What have you found?" asked Ginny walking over.

"Its the library's book record" replied Hermione with a smile "and it is magical. Any book that belongs in this library is automatically recorded in here and it records if someone removes a book and who removed it"

"Really?" asked George "Seems too good to be true"

"Take a look" said Hermione pointing to an entry in the book.

The record was open at a page that covered books in the D section of the library. Hermione was pointing as specific entry. On the left was the name of the book "Death and how to avoid it" on the right was the words "Book in library. Removed from shelf by George Weasley"

"Well that's a tad eerie" said George

"Eerie but useful" said Ginny "Hermione we have pulled some books off the shelves already. As you are best at research, I think it is best if you start going through them. Me and George can use this to find any other books that might be of use"

Nodding her agreement, Hermione stood and went over to main table in the centre of the room and after a quick look at the available books, picked one and was reading before she had sat down.

With the library's record to work with, Ginny's and George's job went a lot quicker. The record guided them to books without them having to search the entire library. In addition, they were able to go back over the A to J sections and find a few books they had missed.

The library record did confirm what Ginny had suspected about the library having gone through three purges. Throughout the record book were book titles with the words "Removed from library by" each time they were followed by one of three names, Sirius Black, Molly Weasley or Albus Dumbledore.

Within an hour Ginny and George had used the library record to go through the entire library and had a dozen books sat on the table and nearly double that amount sat on the floor. Having called Kreacher and asked for some drinks, Ginny sat at the table across from Hermione. George had retrieved quills, ink and parchment from the library desk before joining them at the table. They checked which books Hermione had already gone through then they both picked up a book and started reading.

An hour later Ginny had gone through three books. Two of the books she had written off as they didn't have any information on resurrection within them. She had made some notes on the third book as it had details on theoretical methods on how to resurrect someone. Frustratingly none of them were listed as proven and none of them have any hint as to why Delamere would need Harry. Some of the methods needed a second person, but that person needed to be a willing and active participant, of which Harry would be neither. One thing that all of the theoretical methods seemingly needed was a lot of magical power. Ginny thought it was safe to assume Delamere wanted Harry's power, but couldn't figure out how Delamere was going to access it without Harry agreeing to participate.

George was faring similar to Ginny. He had found very little of any help. But in an eerie reminder of past events he had found a detailed account of how to perform the ritual that had brought Voldemort back to life. Ginny was also beginning to suspect that Charlie had instructed George to keep an eye on her. When Kreacher had arrived with the tea Ginny had requested, George had jumped up to make drinks and had asked Kreacher to bring some snacks. Since then he had been pushing drinks and snacks over to Ginny on a regular basis.

Hermione on the other hand hadn't stopped reading and writing for the last two hours and had a virtual essay in notes sat in front of her. Ginny had left her to it knowing Hermione was in her element when researching something new.

As Ginny was contemplating getting a book of one of the piles on the floor Hermione put her quill down and closed the book she was researching.

"Do you want to compare notes before we move on?" asked Hermione

"Probably a good idea" replied Ginny "I will go first as I suspect I have the least to contribute at this point"

Hermione and George both nodded before she continued.

"Only one book contained anything about resurrections, but it was all untested or unconfirmed theories. In addition, they all needed at least two willing participants. It's no guarantee but I don't think Delamere is using any of the methods mentioned in this book"

George went next with his review of what he had found.

"The only thing I have found was a detailed account of how to perform the ritual that was used to bring Voldemort back to life. It's possible that they consider Harry an enemy and want Harry's blood. But to use that method the person you are trying to bring back would have had to take some precautions before they died. For example, by making a Horcrux. Again, it's not a guarantee but I don't think we are dealing with the wife of another Voldemort. Horcrux's aren't exactly common knowledge and most people won't be prepared to tear their soul into pieces"

Ginny and Hermione both nodded their agreement. At which point Ginny and George waited for what they hoped would be a torrent of information from Hermione.

"I have found a few methods that are worth mentioning but they all have problems and don't tell us anything conclusive. The first is the Resurrection stone. Admittedly Harry is the only one who knows where it is, so she could be using him to find it. But that doesn't explain why she said Harry had put himself in the position he is currently in by killing Voldemort. The next is the Philosopher's Stone. As far as we know the only known stone was destroyed, but even if she had another stone it doesn't explain why she Needs Harry. A rather worrying one I came across was a magical sacrifice. In theory you sacrifice someone and exchange them for the person you are trying to bring back. But it doesn't explain why she needs Harry specifically, as you could use anyone. One last method I discovered is using the Veil. Some people believe it is a door way to the afterlife and you should be able to walk through it both ways"

"The Veil?" asked Ginny "You mean the stone archway Sirius fell through?"

"Yes, it's so ancient it's original intended purpose has been lost and forgotten, so people have spent years speculating about it"

"Isn't that thing locked up in the department of mysteries?" asked George

"Yes" answered Hermione "Obviously I think it is unlikely it is her intended method. She would struggle to gain access to it and once again it doesn't explain why she needs Harry"

"Ok let's take quick break and have something to eat. I'll ask Kreacher to prepare something for the others as well in case they can't get anything to eat at the ministry"

Fifteen minutes later Ginny, George and Hermione were sitting in the living room eating sandwiches. They had made them themselves as Ginny had insisted that Kreacher focus on making sandwiches for the other three before focusing on making a proper evening meal for everyone.

They sat eating in silence keen to get back to their research. The lack of progress was not unexpected but still extremely frustrating. Ginny knew it was important to find Harry quickly and wanted to find something, anything that could help. She could only hope the others were having better luck.

As they were eating Kreacher popped in and out of the living room with plates of sandwiches for Charlie, Ron and Percy. Along with fresh pots of tea and coffee.

With the latest batch of fresh tea Ginny stood and started making mugs of tea for the three of them. While she was doing this the fireplace flared green and Charlie stepped through along with Kingsley. Both Charlie and Kingsley had looks of surprise on their faces at finding them in the living room.

"I expected to find you still at it in the library" commented Charlie.

"We have only been here five minutes" answered Ginny "we were going to get started again once we had eaten. There's some sandwiches for you on the table"

Grabbing on of the plates Charlie asked "Have you found anything?"

"Nothing conclusive or useful unfortunately. How about you?"

As his mouth was full Charlie nodded towards Kingsley who started speaking in his deep voice.

"We have had a lucky break. We now know exactly who Delamere is. Her real name is Delamere Mehr and she was married to John Mehr"

"John Mehr!" interrupted Ginny suddenly "I know that name. He wrote a book about magical bonds between people and how they can change"

"That's correct" said Kingsley clearly surprised "How did you know that?"

"I owe Harry a life debt, Madam Pomfrey ended up doing some research when I started showing signs of emotional dependency towards Harry. She lent me the book John Mehr wrote about his theories on magical bonds and how they can change"

"Why did she think John Mehr's book was relevant?" asked Kingsley

"She thinks the life debt bond that exists between us has changed. The way me and Harry act towards each other fits some of his theories" explained Ginny.

"Could the changing bond help explain why she needs Harry?" Asked Charlie "It seems to be one hell of a coincidence that Harry and Ginny fit his theories, then Delamere suddenly wants Harry"

"Its possible, but without more information it would be impossible to figure out how it is relevant" answered Kingsley.

"Do you have any more information on Delamere as you know who she is?" asked Hermione.

"Yes, we do" answered Kingsley "With Percy leading the search and with Ron and Charlie pushing everyone, we now know where she lives, or at least lived with her husband. We don't believe she will be there but I have sent a team of Auror's to secure the house. Ron and Percy have joined them. I'm assuming you want to come with us?"

"Yes, I do" said Ginny immediately "Where is her house?"

"Delamere and her husband lived in a village in the High Peak District of Derbyshire called Castleton"

"So how are we all getting there?" asked Ginny

"I have a port key" explained Kingsley "But before we go there's something else. It maybe nothing and just a coincidence"

"There's no such thing as coincidences were Harry is concerned" called out George

"What is it Kingsley?" asked Ginny who was getting increasingly impatient.

"The Village of Castleton sits inside an area that was once known as the "Honour of Peverel" and sitting on a Hill overlooking the village is Peveril Castle"

 _A/N I don't want to spoil a cliff hanger (how ever small lol) but before anyone sends me messages about miss spelling Peverell, you need to understand that i haven't misspell it. The Honour of Peverel and Peveril castle are actual locations. When i saw the names i knew i had to use them in my story. The difference in spelling will be explained in the next chapter._


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